Markets
Q1 2024: Off Like a Rocket
The U.S. stock markets hit record high levels in the first quarter of 2024, as continued economic strength, the potential for market-boosting interest rate cuts later this year and investor exuberance around the potential for artificial intelligence drove U.S. equities higher. read more...
2023 Year-end Review and Outlook for 2024: Are Market Expectations Overly Optimistic?
2023 was a strong year in the equity markets. As we closed the year, market participants became increasingly confident that a “soft landing” (continued economic growth despite tightening monetary policy) was likely, and that the Federal Reserve would begin to cut interest rates beginning as early as March 2024. read more...
Q3 2023 Review: Bond Market Volatility Rises, Equity Markets Weaken but Still Strong YTD
After a strong first half of 2023 in the financial markets this year, sentiment in both the equity and bond markets began to worsen early in the third quarter. Typically, July and August are quieter months in the markets, as many market participants take time off. read more...
Will the Financial Markets Shake It Off?
Maybe it’s still a “YOLO” (you only live once) effect from Covid, as consumers continue to spend lavishly on experiences like concerts and travel, but the fact remains that consumers are not behaving like a recession is imminent. read more...
At a Crossroads: Wile E. Coyote Moment or Soft Landing?
It’s been an eventful first half of 2023 in the financial markets. Through June 30, 2023, we’ve seen a major rebound in equity markets after 2022’s sell-off, which was triggered by the Federal Reserve’s rapidly tightening monetary policy. read more...
This Bull Market May Turn on Us
Equity markets have surged back in 2023 after 2022’s precipitous decline. Driven largely by investor excitement over artificial intelligence, a few large companies have seen significant rebounds this year and have driven the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite equity indices higher. read more...
Q1 2023 Update: Cracks Emerge
After a challenging 2022, 2023 got off to a good start in the markets. The equity markets saw strong gains in January as market participants anticipated a potential soft-landing scenario and no recession, despite the Fed’s rapid monetary policy tightening over the past year. read more...
Time To Get Out the Fire Extinguisher
In last month’s blog the key focus was whether the Fed could tighten monetary policy significantly without causing a recession. The question should have been broader – can the Fed tighten policy without anything breaking? The answer is no, as we found out this past week with the failures of several financial institutions, most notably Silicon Valley Bank. read more...
Will the Fed Pull Off a “Sully” Landing?
The financial markets have rebounded thus far in 2023, erasing some of 2022’s losses. Through January 31, 2023, the S&P 500 Index has gained nearly 6%, the NASDAQ is up nearly 11% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up over 2%. The fixed income markets have improved as well, with the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index up nearly 3%. read more...
Volatile 3Q 2022 Features a Shortlived Bear Market Rally, But Silver Linings Emerging
We began the third quarter of 2022 on a positive note with an equity market rally through mid-August. This was a welcome development after the challenging start to 2022 but did not last, as rising interest rates and uncertainty regarding the direction of the economy created significant volatility through the rest of the quarter. read more...