Category Archives: Market Commentary

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2023 Q3 Market Recap

The S&P 500 reached a 2023 high at the end of July before selling off 7.5% through August and September to finish the quarter down 3.3%. Year-to-date the index remains up a solid 13%. Smaller-cap stocks (Russell 2000) also had momentum early in the quarter but changed course and ended the quarter down 5.1%, though…

2023 Q2 Market Recap

Global equities continued to rally in the second quarter, led by surging U.S. mega-cap technology and growth stocks, particularly companies related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The S&P 500 index gained 6.6% in June and 8.7% in the second quarter, driving its year-to-date return to 16.9% overall. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite has driven the majority of…

2023 Q1 Market Recap

Market Recap – Q1 2023 Despite the stress in the banking system, global equity markets held up remarkably well in March and posted solid returns for the quarter. The S&P 500 index was up 3.7% in March and gained 7.5% in the first quarter. Developed international stocks (MSCI EAFE Index) did a bit better, rising…

2022 Q4 Market Recap

Market Recap A difficult year ended with a thud for U.S. stocks. After a 14% rally in October and November, the S&P 500 Index dropped 5.8% in December to close out the year with an 18.1% loss, its largest annual decline since 2008. Foreign stock markets held up much better in the fourth quarter —…

2022 Q3 Market Recap

After a very difficult first half of the year, equity markets rebounded in July on investor hopes of an easing in inflation and a Fed pivot or pause. The reprieve was short-lived however, as stocks tumbled to fresh lows in August and September amid further aggressive central bank rate hikes and statements of further tightening…

2022 Q2 Market Recap

It has been a rough year, with equity markets down more than 20% and “low-risk” bond markets registering low double-digit losses. The S&P 500 dropped 16.1% for the quarter and is now down 20% for the year, after being down as much as 24% through mid-June. Foreign stocks fared slightly better, with Developed international markets…

Update: Market Volatility

The past two years have seen a difficult-to-imagine series of major macro events and responses that are still in the process of playing out. Going into 2020 we had low interest rates and a strong economy. The emergence of the global COVID pandemic resulted in lockdowns and restrictions that in turn led to layoffs and…
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