The Boyar Value Group just released our latest quarterly letter to clients.
Please find an excerpt of the letter below:
A Market at New Heights—But Not Without Risks Beneath the Surface
The U.S. stock market bounced back sharply in the second quarter of 2025, with the S&P 500 gaining 10.9%—erasing its 1Q losses and bringing its year-to-date return to +6.2%. While this may appear to be another chapter in the post-pandemic bull run (which briefly paused in 2022 due to inflation concerns), a closer look reveals a far more complex picture.
The most jarring moment came in early April, when President Trump’s surprise “Liberation Day” tariff announcement rattled global markets. The proposal included a 10% universal tariff, along with reciprocal tariffs ranging from 11% to 50% on countries with which the U.S. runs the largest trade deficits. Some country-specific rates were even higher—China, in particular, faced tariffs so steep they would have made U.S.-China trade virtually uneconomical. The result: the average effective U.S. tariff rate surged to its highest level since the 1930s, shifting investor perception from tactical brinkmanship to a potential structural shift in trade policy.
Please click here to read the entire letter.
