March 1, 2024 Equity investors didn’t mind the extra day this February as both domestic large-cap stocks and small-to-mid-cap stocks saw steady gains through the month, bringing both groups into positive territory year-to-date, though the latter continues to lag. The growth in large company stocks has been driven primarily by enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI).…

February 1, 2024 The report card is in. Despite high interest rates, elevated inflation and a challenging market environment, U.S. gross domestic product grew a strong 3.1% in 2023. And in the month since, consumer spending has continued to be robust, unemployment has remained low and the S&P 500 recorded new highs. Some took this…

January 1, 2024 A choir of optimistic investor sentiment closed 2023 on a high note, as expectations of “steep cuts to interest rates” may be at odds with the Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) actual sheet music. Considering the tumult of the year as sentiment focused on economic and inflation data, this discordance isn’t all that surprising…

December 1, 2023 A monthlong feast, November had a dish to suit nearly every taste. The four-week rally sent major market indices to near or beyond the year-to-date peaks reached at the end of the second quarter. What summoned this cornucopia? The right mix of good data and “bad” data. The good data: The Consumer…

November 1, 2023 Many words have been published about the U.S. economy plowing through conventional expectations amid the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) campaign to lower inflation by raising interest rates. Through October, this theme would continue as headline economic data told the tale of an ultra-resilient U.S. economy, even as volatility churned financial markets. Among those…

October 1, 2023 Throughout the run of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) inflation-fighting, rate-raising program, the equity market has shown uncommon enthusiasm supported by a growing economy, a strong labor market and healthy consumer spending. Contrary to the expected way of these things, inflation continued to cool even as the economy and the markets remained hot.…

September 1, 2023 A steady stream of news drained enthusiasm from the equities markets through most of August, snapping a five-month growth streak at a time of the year known for cool market performance despite the swelter of its dog days. Among that news: A tick in the wrong direction of a key measurement ignited…

August 1, 2023 Have the steady hand of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the resilience of the U.S. economy created the much-hoped-for “soft landing” at the bottom of the inflation crisis? Time will tell – even as it declines, inflation remains above target levels – but the market seems willing to give the benefit of…