Following a volatile and slightly negative first quarter, relative calm returned to the markets for most of Q2 as investors digested continued positive earnings results from domestic companies. For the quarter, the S&P 500 closed at 2,718, generating a total return of +3.4% and bringing the total return for the index to +2.6% in the […]
August 24, 2018
The first three months of 2018 saw an end to the S&P 500’s nine-quarter winning streak as investor concerns about rising interest rates, the potential for a Fed policy misstep, and fears of a global trade war outweighed extremely positive corporate earnings. For the quarter, the S&P 500 closed at 2,640, generating a total return […]
April 17, 2018
Robust corporate earnings results, the strongest holiday spending in six years, and significant tax reform powered the market to a 6.6% total return in Q4. The S&P 500 index closed 2017 at 2,673, posting a heady gain of 21.8% for the year. The best performing sectors for the year were Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary (Amazon, […]
January 9, 2018
A few short-lived bursts of volatility in August, caused by North Korean provocation and two devastating hurricanes, represented only a brief pause in third quarter market momentum. The S&P 500 index closed at 2,519 at quarter end, posting a 4.5% total return for Q3 and bringing 2017 year-to-date gains to 14.2%. Accelerating domestic earnings growth, […]
October 3, 2017
Volatility was surprisingly low in the second quarter of 2017 as a global economic recovery, accelerating domestic earnings growth, and continued optimism regarding President Trump’s pro-growth plans fueled a steady march to new all-time market highs. The S&P 500 index closed at 2,423 on June 30, posting a 3.1% total return for Q2. In the […]
July 7, 2017
