Despite a 4th Quarter rally (the S&P finished up 7.1%), major market indices finished the year down reflecting surging inflation, Fed monetary policy, economic fears, and geopolitical events that included the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s Covid-19 policies. The S&P 500 finished the year down 19.4% and the Nasdaq was down 33.1% as interest rate hikes particularly weighed on… Read More
Posts Tagged ‘ Market Recap ’
Q2 2022 Market Recap
Uncertainty about inflation, the path of rate hikes, and concerns about a cooling economy resulted in further volatility during the 2nd quarter, extending the market’s pullback. Yields surged in the quarter as the Federal Reserve accelerated the pace of rate increases with hikes of 0.50% and 0.75% in May and June. The 10-Year Treasury yield reached a peak of 3.49%… Read More
Q3 2021 Market Recap
The market had a mixed quarter as the S&P finished up only 0.58%. Strong performance at the end of July and in August reflected strong 2Q21 earnings that were broadly above expectations and economic data that showed continued progress despite concerns over the Delta variant. However, the market sold off in September as investor nervousness grew amid concerns over rising… Read More
Q1 2021 Market Recap
The market posted a solid gain in the first quarter of 2021, despite the 10-Year Treasury yield increasing over 0.8% in the quarter as investors contemplated the implications of another stimulus bill and whether the Federal Reserve may be forced to rein in inflation sooner-than-expected. Higher yields contributed to market volatility in the quarter but increasing confidence in the economic… Read More
Q4 2020 Market Recap
October’s election-related uncertainty resulted in the worst month for the stock market since March, but the market recovered throughout November and December leading the market to post overall gains for the year despite unprecedented economic pressure created by the coronavirus pandemic. Small-cap stocks outperformed large-cap stocks in 4Q20, likely reflecting increasing economic optimism as vaccination efforts progress, narrowing small-cap’s underperformance… Read More
Market Recap: Q3 2020
The stock market continued its strong gains in July and August before stumbling in September. By the end of the quarter, markets managed to post overall gains as they continued to dig out from losses earlier this year. However, the gains have not been evenly distributed. Large growth stocks, especially a handful of technology stocks, have largely driven the market’s… Read More
Market Recap: 2nd Quarter 2020
After a disastrous first quarter, the stock market rallied and had its best quarter in more than 20 years. The S&P 500 gained around 20% for the quarter, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained over 18%. For the year, technology stocks, led by companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, have greatly outperformed other sectors. Much of the quarter’s… Read More
Market Recap: 4th Quarter 2019
The last quarter delivered a strong finish to a great year for the stock market. Throughout the year, the market moved on news of the trade dispute with China. Ultimately, progress was made with China and the markets rallied. Stock buybacks also helped the stock market. Many companies used larger profits from the lower tax rate to buy back… Read More
Market Recap: 3rd Quarter 2019
Results for the 3rd quarter were mixed. The quarter got off to a good start as the U.S. and China agreed to continue trade negotiations and the U.S. postponed further tariff increases. This news, along with the Federal Reserve signaling an interest-rate cut, helped markets rally to new highs. However, in August, trade issues heated up again with both countries… Read More
Market Recap: 2nd Quarter 2019
Stock gains continued in April, with the economy growing faster than expected at an annual growth rate of 3.2% for the first quarter. However, markets stumbled in May triggered again by U.S. and China trade issues, as the U.S. increased tariffs on nearly half of Chinese imports from 10% to 25%, after which China retaliated by increasing tariffs on $60… Read More
Fourth Quarter 2018 Market Recap
After experiencing record low volatility in 2017, huge market swings dominated this year. According to the S&P Dow Jones Indices, there have been over 100 days this year where the daily spread between the high and low has exceeded 1%. The year started with a large drop in February but recovered and looked in decent position by the end of… Read More
3rd Quarter 2018 Market Recap
The U.S. stock market reached another milestone this quarter, as the current bull market became the longest equity bull market in U.S. history. Since the start of the bull market in March 2009, the S&P 500 has more than quadrupled. Many of the market gains this year have been due to strong gains by technology companies, such as Apple and… Read More
Second Quarter 2018 Market Recap
Volatility continued in global stock markets during the second quarter. Despite solid first-quarter earnings reports, stocks gained little traction as geopolitical and trade concerns hampered the markets. In the U.S., growth stocks continued their strong outperformance over value stocks. The market gains this year have been heavily dependent on technology stocks. For the quarter, energy was the best performer (up… Read More
2017 Market Recap
Stock markets around the world posted robust gains in 2017. In the U.S., strong earnings reports in the last quarter propelled stocks to record highs. At year-end, the Dow was closing in on the 25,000 mark and the S&P 500 approached 2,700 for the first time. The U.S. economy continued to show strength with third quarter gross domestic product (GDP)… Read More