Key Points 1st Half Rally Carries into 2nd Half Though the stock rally slowed from June’s strong pace, the positive momentum persisted through July, with the S&P 500 climbing +3.1% for the month. That follows June’s +6.5% return, the best month since October 2022....
Quick Takes Stocks and bonds took a breather in the first week of August after a strong July. Most major indices were down for the week, with the U.S. stocks and bonds outperforming their non-U.S. counterparts. The S&P 500 Index fell -2.3% while the MSCI EAFE...
Quick Takes Most major stock indices were up on the week, with the U.S. leading a +6.8% jump in the Communication Services sector. The S&P 500 was up +1.0%, the Russell 2000 gained +1.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose +2.0%. Overseas, stocks also gained despite...
Quick Takes Stocks were mostly up on the week, but in a countertrend move technology and growth trailed the overall market. The S&P 500 was up +0.7%, the Russell 2000 gained +1.5%, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq slipped -0.6%. Overseas, stocks pulled back after nice...
Quick Takes Stocks and bonds rallied hard on signs that inflation is subsiding, and the Fed will succeed in orchestrating a soft landing on investors. The S&P 500 was up +2.4%, the Russell 2000 gained +3.3% and the Nasdaq advanced +3.6%. Overseas, developed market...
Key Points Scaling the Wall of Worry Despite continued rate hikes, stubborn inflation, a banking crisis, and a drawn-out debt ceiling drama, risk assets performed very well in the first half of 2023, boosted by decent gains in June. U.S. equities led the major asset...
Quick Takes Stocks stumbled in choppy trading during the first week of July as more tough talk from the Federal Reserve, uninspiring economic reports, and mixed jobs data weighed on investors. The S&P 500 retreated -1.2%, the Russell 2000 fell -1.3%, and the...
Quick Takes Most global stock market indices rebounded from the prior week’s losses, led by U.S. small companies for a change. The S&P 500 Index was up +2.4%, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose +2.2%, and the small cap Russell 2000 Index jumped +3.7%. Developed...
Quick Takes Global stock market indices broke multi-week win streaks with their worst week in months. The S&P 500 Index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell -1.4%, and the small-cap Russell 2000 Index dropped -2.9%. International stocks fell -3.4% and...
Quick Takes As expected, the Federal Reserve paused its rate hiking cycle after 10 consecutive hikes going back to January 2022. However, the latest projections put the federal funds rate at 5.6% which would imply one or two more hikes from the current 5% to 5.25%...
