SoFi Blog

During the holiday season, the activities and schedules of Americans tend to change as families and friends take time off to gather together to celebrate. And it isn’t unusual for some traders to also leave work behind to take an extended break from typical routines.

How, though, do traders and investors adjust their schedules in Q4? How do they tweak their investment strategies?

In this post, we’ll offer insights into how stock market activity during the holidays typically compares to the rest of the year, and share information about Christmas stock market trends and historical December stock market trends, overall.

Online shopping has never been easier or more popular with consumers. The bargains are mind-boggling. The selection is vast. Shipping is often free and fast. And those dreaded returns are getting simpler all the time.

According to the 2017 Deloitte holiday retail survey , the Internet isn’t just for browsing anymore. In past surveys, Deloitte found consumers were going online to find deals and recommendations, but when it came time to actually making a purchase, shoppers still hit the stores.

Last year, survey respondents said they planned to spend 51% of their holiday gift-buying budget online, compared with 42% in-store. And the National Retail Federation reported a year over year increase in online “and other non-store” sales of 11.5% in 2017.

As student loan debt climbs to unheard-of heights ($1.5 trillion ), a study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that graduates with student debt are saving only half as much for retirement as students without debt.

On the other hand, companies can struggle to recruit and retain top talent—and that’s another big problem.

A private letter ruling from the IRS , though, has people all across the country—from consultants to lawyers to industry execs to government officials, all the way to Congress—buzzing about a solution with the potential to help solve both problems.

May and June may be known as graduation season, but this December some graduates will put on their caps and gowns and enter the job market before their other classmates. Amid the bustle of winter celebrations, however, many December grads are left wondering, “when do you have to pay back student loans?”

SoFi’s investment portfolios are built for the long-term. Founded on well-worn investment philosophies—diversified investments to help reduce risk, low-fee, tax-efficient funds to reduce unnecessary costs and more—we strive to ensure that our members are in the portfolio that closely aligns with their goals.

While we don’t try to time the market, we do believe that it’s important to monitor global events and understand how those events can affect your portfolio. Most of the time, these events are simply unavoidable speed-bumps on the investing highway and don’t require any adjustments to the portfolios.