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 clientsโ desire to buy cryptocurrency, but they donโt recommend it unless clients express interest. โThe biggest concern for us is if someone wants to invest in crypto and the investment they choose doesnโt do well, and then all of a sudden they canโt send their kids to college,โ says Ian Harvey, a certified financial planner (CFP) in New York City. โThen it wasnโt worth the risk.โ The speculative nature of cryptocurrency leads some planners to recommend it for clientsโ โsideโ investments. โSome call it a Vegas account,โ says Scott Hammel, a CFP in Dallas. โLetโs keep this away from our real long-term perspective, make sure it doesnโt become too large a portion of your portfolio.โ In a very real sense, Bitcoin is like a single stock, and advisors wouldnโt 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 youโre passionate about it. โIf it was one stock, you would never allocate any significant portion of your portfolio to it,โ Hammel says.
