U.S. stock indices fell in May, and have now fallen for six consecutive weeks, the longest losing streak since 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 6.7%, the S&P 500 was down 6.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 5.4%. International equity markets were also lower. The MSCI Europe Australia Far East Index (EAFE) lost 5.3% and […]
The major U.S. equity indices all posted gains in April. The Nasdaq Composite increased 4.7%, the S&P 500 added 3.9%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.6%. Following a sell-off in December 2018, the market has regained all-time highs after a strong start to the year. S&P 500 earnings for the first quarter have […]
The major U.S. equity indices all posted gains in March. The Nasdaq Composite increased 2.6%, the S&P 500 added 1.8%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Coupled with the strong returns in the first two months of 2019, the S&P 500 posted its best first quarter performance since 1998. S&P 500 earnings growth ended 2018 […]
All three major U.S. stock indices continued their upward trend in February. The S&P 500 gained 2.9%, the Dow Jones Industrials gained 3.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 3.7%. Non-U.S. stocks also rose. The MSCI EAFE Index rose 3% and the MSCI Emerging Markets index rose 1%. Treasury note yields rose slightly and across maturities in February maintaining […]
The S&P 500 surged 8% in January, ending 14.0% higher than the low reached on December 24. The dovish guidance from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell was a primary factor underpinning the market’s advance. The strong U.S. dollar remains a headwind for corporate revenues. On a trade-weighted basis, the greenback surged just shy of 8% in 2018. MPs in […]
The month of December saw declines across U.S. stocks with the S&P 500 -9.0%, -8.5% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and -9.4% on the Nasdaq. Equities saw the largest annual decline during the bull market of the past decade, posting a -4.4% total return on the S&P 500 in 2018, while closing the year […]
The stock market treated us to another volatile month in November. Indices squeaked to a positive close thanks to a rally in the last week. In November, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.7%, the S&P 500 gained 1.8% and the Nasdaq Composite rose .3%. Stocks are up this year through November month-end, although indices remain well off […]
Equities experienced a rapid and volatile correction in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped -5.1% and the S&P 500 declined -6.9%. The Nasdaq lost -9.2%, as the technology sector became a focal point of the selling during the month. While the indices rebounded from their worst levels at month’s end, they have given back much […]
U.S. stocks rose for the sixth straight month in September, ending near all-time highs and helping the benchmark index post the biggest quarterly gain (7.2%) in five years. Strong earnings growth and a range of positive economic data in the U.S. helped investors tune out political risk. This fueled the outperformance of domestic stocks over […]
The major U.S. stock indexes advanced in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 2.2%, the S&P 500 was up 3.1% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 5.7%. The bull market became one of the longest on record. The S&P 500 marked 3,462 days since the March 9, 2009 low through the end of August. The […]