-Darren Leavitt, CFA It was an extremely busy week on Wall Street.  First-quarter earnings results were highlighted by Apple and Amazon.  Investors encouraged by their results sent higher shares on the back of increased dividends, increased share buyback programs, and...

Monthly Commentary - June '22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was just an ugly month of June for investors and for that matter the 1st half of 2022.  All asset classes seemed to fall except for the US dollar.  The month started with a “peak inflation” narrative that was...

Monthly Market Commentary – April ’22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets had a rough month in April. Inflation continued to be top of mind for investors as data continued to show historic increases in prices. The Federal Reserve still appears to be behind...

Monthly Market Commentary - March '22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA In March, global financial markets continued to be volatile, focused on the Russian/Ukraine war and inflation rates not seen in decades.  Countries worldwide condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and started...

Monthly Market Recap for January 2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was not a pleasant start to 2022 for investors as global financial markets took a few steps back. Increasing inflation concerns and the prospect for higher interest rates dampened sentiment. The Omicron...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets rallied in December in volatile trade. It seemed markets would take two steps forward in one week only to give up a step in the following week. The emergence of the Omicron variant rattled markets initially, but investors were...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA September proved again to be a difficult month for financial assets.  A narrative that the growth of global economies has peaked was evident during the month.  Market sentiment was further dampened by fears that inflation has become persistent...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets rallied in August as economic data revealed strength across the globe.  However, delta variant infection rates soared during the month, especially in unvaccinated populations, which dampened sentiment and global growth...

Monthly Market Review for July 2021 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets forged new all-time highs in July despite fears of a slowdown in global economic growth due to the delta variant of Covid.  A bipartisan infrastructure bill made its way through the House and...

Monthly Market Recap - June 2021 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets were able to rally to new records in June despite a more hawkish Federal Reserve and rhetoric that suggested the US economy had seen peak growth and peak inflation expectations.   A flattening...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial Markets ended the month of May with mixed results.  A prominent rotational trade was again present throughout the month.  Inflation was top of mind and debated by investors as some economic data fueled concerns of a systemic increase in...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA A prominent rotational trade out of mega-cap growth stocks into value-oriented cyclical issues extended US equity indices gains in March.  Covid-19 inoculations continued to ramp up in the US as broader segments of the population became eligible...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets started 2021 in strong form but lost some ground in the final week of trade.  Covid-19 vaccines continued to be developed, and inoculations continued to be administered to front line workers and the elderly.  A light at the end...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets rallied in December on the prospects and ultimate agreement of another tranche of Coronavirus stimulus.  Covid-19 vaccine emergency use approvals from the FDA aided market sentiment even as daily infection rates,...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets rallied in November. A historic US election played out as one of Wall Street’s best-case scenarios.  Three effective Covid-19 vaccines were announced over the month, which further stocked investor enthusiasm. Third-quarter earnings...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets had mixed performances in October.  Investors were hoping for another tranche of stimulus from Washington, but the politicians were too far apart to get a deal done in the end.  The US Presidential election continued to...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Covid-19 infections continued to hobble the reopening of specific geographies around the world, while efforts to produce a vaccine continued to show positive progress.  Central banks were reasonably quiet during the month, keeping policy rates low...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The financial markets continued to be volatile throughout June but were ultimately able to build upon May’s gains.  Optimism surrounding the reopening of the global economy fueled investor’s risk appetite for cyclical issues such as financials and...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial Markets continued to rebound nicely in May as economies around the globe started to reopen.  There were also constructive news headlines related to effective coronavirus therapies and positive data on some early-stage results for...

April 2020 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets continued to rebound in April as global governments and central banks added more stimulus to combat the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19.  Developed markets outperformed emerging markets, and growth...

Mid-April 2020 Market Update - David Young, CFA We vividly recall the financial crisis of 2008. The economy was quickly contracting, several financial institutions required bailouts, layoffs abounded, and the stock market plunged. But we weren’t grappling with fear...

January 2020 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA The markets started January with nice gains but gave back some of those gains later in the month on concerns related to the spread of the novel coronavirus and its effect on the global economy. During the month, the US...

December 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets continued their ascent in December in what was an impressive showing for the markets in 2019.  Trade policy negotiation between the US and China continued throughout the month with an initial agreement...

December 2019 Market Review and Outlook -Murray Titterington, CFP, CIMA Be careful what you wish for. Last month we hoped for a “Santa Claus” rally in the markets (defined as a rally beginning the day after Christmas and extends through the end of the year). Well, the...

November 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets crushed it in November with substantial gains across all the major indices.  Record highs were inked for the S&P 500, up 3.4%, the Dow, up 3.72%, and for the NASDAQ, which gained 4.5% over the...

October 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global risk assets were in favor during the month of October.  In October, investors continued to be hopeful that a trade deal between the US and China could be forged and also optimistic that a no-deal Brexit could be...

Third Quarter Check-Up: Is the US Consumer Still Healthy? -David Young, CFA It may seem like a simple question with a simple answer, but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. Financial trade publications and cable television networks often discuss the...

September 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity markets around the globe bounced back from the sell-off we had in August.  Uncertainties around trade continued to be in focus for investors as the US and China countered each other’s policies.  The continuing...

Market Recap August 2019 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors endured a volatile month in August that saw most developed and emerging equity markets decline. The S&P 500 lost -1.81% during the month, the Dow lost -1.72%, the NASDAQ shed -2.60%, and the Russell 2000 lost...

US Consumer – Still Strong, Best is Behind Us Expected to contribute 1.5% (solid) of GDP growth, chugging along at 2%ish spending clip Nothing related to the consumer on the horizon that would force the Fed’s hand one way or the other. From the consumer standpoint, it...

Market Review May 2019 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity markets did an about-face in May with the S&P 500 inking its first monthly loss of 2109.  Investors fled risk assets for safe-haven US treasuries as trade negotiations between the US and China soured.  Trade...

Market Review April 2019 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global risk assets continued to rally in April.  First quarter earnings are coming in better than expected, Central banks around the globe remain accommodative, economic data saw improvement, US & China trade...

-Murray Titterington, CFP, CIMA Most of the major U.S. equity indices rose in March, and all of the indices notched their biggest quarterly gains in nearly a decade. The rise in US equity markets was attributed to signs of progress on U.S. – China trade negotiations...

Murray Titterington, CFP, CIMA The US equity markets rose again during the second month of the new year, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both posting their best two-month start to a year in nearly three decades. The indices’ rise was aided by...

January 2019 Market Review and Outlook -Murray Titterington, CFP, CIMA It’s déjà vu all over again. 2019 is off to a good start, just like January of 2018. Stocks climbed during the first month of the year, with the S&P 500 rising the most in January since 1987,...

December 2018 Market Review and Outlook -Murray Titterington, CFP, CIMA Be careful what you wish for. Last month we hoped for a “Santa Claus” rally in the markets (defined as a rally beginning the day after Christmas and extends through the end of the year). Well, the...

U.S. stock markets closed out the month of October with the largest monthly losses we’ve seen in more than six years. All of 2018’s gains were essentially wiped out over just a few days of trading. Bond markets have been hurt all year as interest rates have continued...

The US equity markets closed the month of August with gains despite apprehension concerning trade policy. The S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Russell 2000 all reached new highs during the month. The S&P 500 had its best August performance since 2014, while the NASDAQ...

The US stock markets rose during the month of July as mostly strong corporate earnings trumped weakness in Technology shares. Additionally, fears of a prolonged trade war with China eased a bit as news reported that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Chinese Vice...

The US stock markets gyrated between gains and losses during the month of June, as investors assessed the impact of proposed trade tariffs, political turmoil in the Eurozone, and signals of a slowing global economy. Most of the major US stock indices had positive...

The US stock markets had a roller-coaster ride during the month of May, as the month began with a rally after strong first quarter earnings were reports, trade war concerns subsided, emerging markets calmed, and political instability in Europe was shrugged off. Trade...

All of the major US stock indices had positive returns for the month of April, as strong earnings reports allowed the markets to regain some of the earlier losses due to proposed tariffs and interest rate increase concerns. During the month, concerns about a hawkish...

During the first quarter, investors wavered from euphoria to despair, as record market gains in January were followed by the first “corrections” (drops of 10% from record highs) in February in more than 2 years. The Dow and S&P 500 closed out the month of March...

What a difference a month makes! 2018 began with strong gains, only to see much of those gains evaporate as volatility returned to the markets amid concerns of continued interest rate hikes by the Fed. The conundrum is that interest rates are rising because of...

2018 is off to a good start, as during the month of January the major indices were setting records on a daily basis. Worldwide markets are off to their best start in over 30 years. A well-known market adage says that so goes January, so goes the year. And historical...

While the year didn’t officially end until December 31st, the markets broke out the party hats early to celebrate at the market close on Friday, December 29th. And deservedly so, as they shattered records left and right during 2017 – despite political gridlock, North...

Back in February, the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed and maintained the psychological 20,000 level milestone. In November the index broke 24,000 and shows no sign of slowing. The Dow ended November with a gain of 3.2%, an eighth consecutive monthly gain – the...

October has often been a spooky month for the markets. This past month we marked the 30th anniversary of “Black Monday”, which occurred on October 19, 1987, when the US stock market crashed and the Dow lost more than 22% in a single day. The S&P 500 also dropped...

September has historically been the worst month for the stock market, but this year was an exception. US stocks finished the week, month, and quarter on a high note, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 reaching all-time highs on the last day of the quarter....

Volatility returned to the markets in August, as a mid-month slump led the S&P 500 down from yet another all-time record high close on August 7th. Concerns about North Korea’s missile launch and the impact of hurricane Harvey eclipsed worries about the impending...

During July, the markets yet again continued their march to record territories. The Dow inched closer to 22,000, yet another psychological milestone. When, not if, this level is attained, it will mark the third 1,000-point milestone within a year. The Dow and other...

If you “sold in May and went away”, as the saying goes, you would have missed out on another positive month, albeit a minor one. The market proves to be resilient, and political turmoil in Washington and global uncertainty appear to be the only obstacles to continued...