Stocks posted a strong first quarter, with the S&P 500 market-cap weighted index returning 10.6%. The S&P 500 equal-weighted index gained 7.9%, demonstrating broad-based gains across individual stocks. AI-related stocks continued to lead the rest of the market. The Federal Reserve decided to maintain the benchmark interest rate range of 5.25%-5.5% at their March meeting. […]
Continue Reading ›February 2024 Monthly Market Update
U.S. stock markets finished higher in February, with the S&P 500 +5.2% for the month. Gains were driven by the underlying strength of the economy evidenced by economic data and better-than-expected earnings results, expectations for interest rates, and hype surrounding Artificial Intelligence. In terms of the broader economy, jobs and growth data remain strong, and […]
Continue Reading ›January 2024 Monthly Market Update
The first month of 2024 echoed the prevailing narrative of late 2023, characterized by moderating inflation, a resilient economy, and the anticipation of imminent interest rate cuts, driving U.S. stock indices to new record highs. Despite suffering its worst single-day loss since September on the final day of the month, triggered by Big Tech earnings […]
Continue Reading ›December 2023 Monthly Market Update
The end of the year always seems to be when pundits and forecasters come out with a bevy of predictions. We’ll highlight the positives and negatives for markets in the year ahead, but first, let’s have a look at the past year. Coming into 2023, markets faced a general pessimism. Reuters polls of economists put […]
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