Spiking bond yields driving sharp losses in tech stocks
A spike in interest rates since the start of the year has accelerated a rotation out of high-growth technology stocks and into value stocks poised to benefit from a reopening of the economy. The Nasdaq has fallen more than 10% over the past month as the Dow has soared to record highs, with a spike in the 10-year US Treasury yield acting as the main catalyst. It recently surged to a cycle high of more than 1.60% after starting the year below 1%. But according to Jim Paulsen, the Leuthold Group's chief investment strategist, rising interest rates do not represent a long-term threat to the stock market. Paulsen expects the 10-year yield to cross 2% by the end of the year.
A spike in interest rates and its impact on the stock market depends on the economic backdrop, according to Paulsen. Rising interest rates amid a strengthening economy "may prove no challenge at all for stocks," Paulsen said.
Should You Buy Bitcoin?
In general, many financial experts support their clientsâ desire to buy cryptocurrency, but they donât recommend it unless clients express interest. âThe biggest concern for us is if someone wants to invest in crypto and the investment they choose doesnât do well, and then all of a sudden they canât send their kids to college,â says Ian Harvey, a certified financial planner (CFP) in New York City. âThen it wasnât worth the risk.â The speculative nature of cryptocurrency leads some planners to recommend it for clientsâ âsideâ investments. âSome call it a Vegas account,â says Scott Hammel, a CFP in Dallas. âLetâs keep this away from our real long-term perspective, make sure it doesnât become too large a portion of your portfolio.â In a very real sense, Bitcoin is like a single stock, and advisors wouldnât recommend putting a sizable part of your portfolio into any one company. At most, planners suggest putting no more than 1% to 10% into Bitcoin if youâre passionate about it. âIf it was one stock, you would never allocate any significant portion of your portfolio to it,â Hammel says.
