The S&P 500 continued to show remarkable resilience in the third quarter, gaining 1.7% to close at 2,977 despite a spreading global economic slowdown and continued lack of a US-China trade deal. This result brings the YTD total return of the index to 20.6%. The top performing sectors for the quarter were Utilities, Real […]

  Despite a continued economic slowdown and lack of a US-China trade deal, the robust 2019 market rally continued in the second quarter, with the S&P 500 moving +4.3% to close at 2,941. For the first six months of the year, the total return of the index was +18.5%, the best first half since 1997. […]

  The market soared in the first three months of 2019, with the S&P 500 making its largest quarterly gain since the third quarter of 2009. A relatively inexpensive and oversold market at the beginning of the year had positioned stocks for a bounce. Fading fears regarding potential Fed missteps, interest rates, and trade wars […]

Following a solid first nine months of 2018, the market reversed course and cascaded lower in Q4 due to, among other things, fears that a Federal Reserve misstep and trade wars would lead to a global recession in 2019.  On December 24th, the S&P 500 index hit a new 52-week low just three months after […]

Stocks posted a banner third quarter as the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high and generated its best quarterly return in nearly five years.  Domestic market volatility remained low as investors looked beyond escalating trade rhetoric and weak international market action to focus on a strong US economy.  For the quarter, the S&P 500 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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, […]

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 […]