Boxed Up

We are off for the holidays through Friday, but still want to share some thoughts and thanks with you in the meantime.

The Market Sum | Insight after the bell By Caleb Silver, Editor in Chief Some holiday thoughts on Boxing Day.     Image: Getty Images   Hello Readers,   We are off for the holidays today, although many global markets are open.   Check our Markets page for the latest updates.   It is Boxing Day in the U.K., Ireland, and Canada, so banks and markets are closed in those countries. I've never understood what Boxing Day is all about, so I looked it up on our sister site, TheSpruce.com:   Why Is It Called Boxing Day?  There are three possible etymologies for the term: The name is a reference to holiday gifts. A 'Christmas Box' in Britain is a name for a Christmas present. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants and the day when they received a 'Christmas Box' from the master. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give 'Christmas Boxes' to their families. The name is a reference to charity drives. A box to collect money for the poor traditionally and placed in Churches on Christmas day and opened the next day - Boxing Day. The name refers to a nautical tradition. When setting sail, sailing ships would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck. If the voyage was a success, the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas, and the contents then given to the poor.    Speaking of terms, we recently released our Top Terms of 2019  list, and the past year compelled many of our readers to look up some very interesting financial definitions and biographies on our site.   Here's the top ten:       Given the trend in central banks over the past decade, we expect that our terms around negative interest rates and negative bond yields will continue to be popular in 2020. With the U.S. presidential election coming in November, we also expect our readers to be looking up economic terms like Modern Monetary Theory, Marginal Tax Rates, and Deficits. One thing we know for sure, 2020 is shaping up to be another dynamic and unpredictable year. Welcome to the new normal.   The stock market has been the place to be for U.S. investors so far in 2019, and we are just in the first month of the best part of the year for stock performance, but the past is no guarantee of future returns. Trends come and go. Markets rise and fall. You are in charge of your investments, even if you hire someone to allocate on your behalf. Take the wheel. We'll be here to help you navigate.   We are back in business on Friday.    Caleb Silver - Editor in Chief   Here are some useful links on Risk Management and Diversification: Risk Management How to Rebalance your 401k Tailoring Your Investment Plan How to Measure Risk Portfolio Diversification Done Right If you are just looking to brush up on your skills, here are a few links to get started: How to Start Investing in Stocks: A Beginner's Guide Become Your Own Financial Advisor What Is Risk? How can we improve the Market Sum? Tell us at marketsum@investopedia.com Enjoy the Market Sum? Share it with a friend.   Click to Share   Or share the link below to invite friends to sign up. https://link.investopedia.com/join/53o/00-fwd-marketsum CONNECT WITH INVESTOPEDIA Email sent to:  mondemand.forex@blogger.com To update your newsletter preferences or unsubscribe, click here.   114 West 41st St, floor 8 New York NY 10036 © 2019, Investopedia, LLC. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy