The S&P 500 is coming off one of its best years of all-time, with a price return of 28.9%. An initial reaction might be to take gains in anticipation of a pullback. History tells us such a response would be unwise, as the market has performed well following big up years. The graph below shows […]
Continue Reading ›September 2019 Economic Dashboard
The US stock market finished the third quarter near its all-time highs, which is remarkable given the volatility witnessed during the 90-day period. The media has been touting a recession resulting from the combination of the trade war and restrictive Fed monetary policy. Most economic indicators are pointing to slower growth, so the Fed has […]
Continue Reading ›August 2019 Economic Dashboard
August was a more volatile month than usual, triggered by both an escalation of the trade war with China and more indications that the US economy may be slowing more than expected. The S&P 500 had daily changes of over 1% on 11 of the 22 trading days in response to both rhetoric and economic […]
Continue Reading ›July 2019 Economic Dashboard
After a relatively good month for the stock market in July, the one-two punch of a disappointing Fed rate cut on July 31 and more tariffs on Chinese goods and its retaliatory currency devaluation in the first days of August have sent stock prices sharply lower. Markets like predictability (which usually comes at a premium) […]
Continue Reading ›April 2019 Economic Dashboard
The stock market rally continued in April, with the Dow Jones 30 gaining 2.7% and the S&P 500 up 4.0%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ was the winner for the month with a gain of 4.7%. Better-than-expected corporate earnings in April, a decline in inflation pressures and an excellent GDP report late in the month were among […]
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