U.S. Performance Dashboard – March 2024
Despite uncertainty surrounding potential Fed rate cuts, economic strength and diminishing recession fears led to the best Q1 U.S. market performance since 2019, with the S&P 500® up 11%. Mega-cap dominance was pervasive, with the S&P 500 Top 50 up 12%. The broadening of the rally continued in March, with the S&P MidCap 400® up 6%, outpacing the S&P 500's 3% gain. Except for Real Estate, all sectors posted gains in Q1, led by Communication Services and Energy. [...]
U.S. Performance Dashboard – February 2024
Markets shook off looming concerns over inflation and the Fed’s future rate trajectory with more record highs in February, driving the S&P 500® up 5%. With a consistent tailwind of interest in AI and generally better than expected Q4 earnings, mega caps continued to show strength with the S&P 500 Top 50 up 6%. While small caps lagged, the rally began to broaden with mid caps slightly outpacing their large-cap counterparts, with the S&P MidCap 400® up [...]
U.S. Performance Dashboard – January 2024
Despite a sharp drop on the final trading day of the month post Fed Chair Powell's comments indicating rate cuts were not imminent, the S&P 500® rose 2% in January. The month was characterized by a series of record highs, driven by strength from the Magnificent 7, which propelled the mega-cap S&P 500 Top 50 up 3%. Strong Q4 2023 economic data also dampened optimism that the Fed would be able to begin cutting rates as [...]
U.S. Performance Dashboard – December 2023
After a dismal 2022, the market recovered with a vengeance in 2023. Closing out the year with nine consecutive weeks of gains, the S&P 500® finished with an impressive 26% return for the year. The relentless strength of the Magnificent Seven powered those gains throughout, pushing the mega-cap S&P 500 Top 50 up a stonking 38%. Thanks to optimism that the Fed would be able to engineer a soft landing, overall market sentiment improved [...]
U.S. Performance Dashboard – November 2023
Optimism returned to the market with a vengeance in November, as cooling inflation readings raised expectations for future Fed rate cuts, boosting U.S. equities, with the S&P 500® up 9% in November. With the exception of Energy, all sectors posted gains, led by Information Technology, up a staggering 13%. Consistent with the upbeat market sentiment, High Beta and Momentum led among factor indices, while their defensive counterparts Dividend Aristocrats and Low Volatility unsurprisingly lagged.
U.S. Performance Dashboard – October 2023
Despite strong economic growth, the market malaise continued, as mixed earnings results, surging Treasury yields, geopolitical tensions, as well as uncertainty surrounding the Fed’s future rate trajectory spooked U.S. equities, with the S&P 500® down 2% in October. Continued concerns around an impending recession were detrimental to the more domestically oriented S&P MidCap 400® and S&P SmallCap 600®, down 5% and 6%, respectively, underperforming their large-cap counterpart. Utilities was the sole sector to post a gain in [...]