After pulling back in April, the S&P 500 continued to surprise market forecasters by moving 4.3% higher in the second quarter, closing just below a record high and bringing its first half gain to a very solid 15.3%.  While the labor market began to soften late in the quarter, the overall economy remains decent, inflation […]

The S&P 500 continued its nearly unabated move higher in the first quarter, vaulting upward by 10.6% to end the quarter at 5,254, a new all-time high.  Inflation picked up marginally, as did earnings expectations.  Investor confidence that the Federal Reserve can achieve its inflation target without causing a recession also helped drive the market. […]

The S&P 500 regained its winning ways in the fourth quarter, ripping higher by 11.7% to close at 4,769, just 1% below its all-time closing high reached in January 2022.  The S&P 500 advanced a healthy 26.3% in 2023, a welcome reversal of the steep losses in 2022.  Inflation growth continued to slow during the […]

The S&P 500 hit a new 2023 high in late July before giving back some of its gains in the last few weeks of September.  For the quarter, the index finished down 3.3%, its first quarterly drop this year.  Inflation growth continued to slow, but continued Fed hikes, advancing commodity prices, and a re-accelerating economy […]

The stock market delivered a third consecutive quarter of gains, building on the rally that started in October 2022.  The S&P 500 finished the quarter up 8.7% and advanced 16.9% for the first half of 2023. The top performing sectors for the period were once again Information Technology, Communication Services, and Consumer Discretionary, while those […]

The S&P 500 continued to climb a wall of worry in the first quarter of 2023, breaking out with a strong January, dropping in February and the first half of March, and then rallying to post a +7.5% return for the quarter.  Evidence is mounting that Federal Reserve rate hikes are having the desired effect […]

The S&P 500 Index had three extraordinarily strong years from 2019-2021, generating a 100.3% total return which culminated in an all-time high on January 3rd, 2022. Then, the S&P 500 stair-stepped lower throughout a volatile year, officially entering bear market territory in June. Though the market staged a 7.5% fourth quarter advance, including a multi-year […]

Stubbornly high inflation and a Federal Reserve belatedly determined to bring it down, even if it causes a recession, pushed markets lower for the third quarter in a row.  The bear market continued, with the S&P 500 returning -4.9% in the third quarter to bring its YTD loss to -23.9%. The top performing sectors in […]

Sustained inflation and supply chain pressures exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine, a fresh set of COVID lockdowns in China, and an aggressive interest rate hiking cycle from the Federal Reserve caused equity markets to plummet in the second quarter.  The S&P 500 officially entered bear market territory in June, closing 2Q with a […]

Following a mostly calm ride in 2021, the stock market experienced serious turbulence due to both expected and unexpected factors in the first quarter of 2022.  Persistent inflation, a new Federal Reserve interest rate hiking cycle, and a violent incursion by Russia into Ukraine generated volatility not seen in a year.  The S&P 500 underwent […]