It was a week in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average swung 400-points up or down four days in a row. Whipsawed advisors began emailing us Wednesday requesting articles to distribute to their clients. The downgrade of the U.S. Government by Standard & Poor’s and worries about the debt crisis spreading to Europe had sparked uncertainty and panic selling.
Wednesday night, Advisor Products responded by providing an article based on research from investment strategist Fritz Meyer entitled, “Focus On Economic Fundamentals That Drive Securities Prices Long Term, And Don’t Succumb To The Hysteria In The Markets.”
On Friday evening, we released another eight articles:
- The U.S. Downgrade Was Bad, But Default Would’ve Been Worse
- Money Market Funds Should Shrug Off U.S. Downgrade
- Economic Measures Signal Solid Rebound Even As Stocks Fall
- Take Advantage Of Fed’s Low-Rate Pledge
- Don’t Panic: The Economy Is Signaling A Recovery
- European Politicians Can Still Come Back From Vacation And Save The Euro
- What Does The Downgrade Of U.S. Debt Really Mean?
- Short-Term Correction Creates Long-Term Buying Opportunity
The content release contained a note disclosing that the articles were not FINRA reviewed and advising advisors to consult their compliance officers before sending them to clients. The articles were for use in emails. They are now being submitted to FINRA.
Sending out breaking news articles is a departure from our usual editorial process. Advisor Products, which has produced client newsletters for advisors since 1996, has a team of financial editors and writers that produce our content. In addition, an Editorial Advisory Board comprised of leading financial advisors review content for technical accuracy, and then the articles are submitted to FINRA for regulatory review. With markets so erratic, however, we truncated our editorial process and released copy without FINRA review.
Would appreciate any feedback on how we did.