Market Review What a year…again! The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 4th quarter up 2.1%, following on a 5.5% gain the prior three months and leaving the benchmark with a second-consecutive year of 20+% gains for only the sixth time since 1950. The index hit 57 new all-time closing highs in 2024, a mark only…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 3rd quarter up 5.5%, following on a 3.9% gain the prior three months and leaving the benchmark tantalizingly close to a second-consecutive year of 20+% gains. The index has hit over 40 new all-time closing highs this year after passing the previous record from January, 2022,…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 2nd quarter up 3.9%, following on the 10.1% gain through March and leaving the broader stock market on course for a welcome second-consecutive year of outsized gains. The index has hit over 30 new all-time closing highs this year after passing the previous record from January,…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 1st quarter up 10.1% continuing its march upward after last October’s market low. While the 26%+ gain since October is noteworthy, the index is only up around 9% from the high in January, 2022. Corporate earnings beat analyst estimates by over 7% during the 4th quarter,…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 4th quarter up 11.2% after surging relentlessly upward from lows in late October. For the year, the index will close up over 24%, marking a sharp contrast to performance in 2022, though both years exhibited an emphatic bullish turnaround at roughly the same point on the…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index closed the 3rd quarter down 3.6% after a late September swoon. Commentators often use that benchmark to demonstrate the performance of “the stock market”, but as the graphic below illustrates, investors shouldn’t lose sight of the fact they can choose among “a market of stocks”. The Federal Reserve…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index posted a 8.3% gain for the 2nd quarter, with the strongest gains again concentrated among three sectors and a limited cadre of component companies. Artificial intelligence (A.I.) has been the hot news story in regards to which companies enable it and which companies are empowering users with it.…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index posted a 7.0% headline gain to start the year, though performance varied widely by sector and a small group of large, Technology-driven stocks provided the bulk of the gains. Investors sought the perceived safety of robust and resilient cash flows and balance sheets. As expected, the Federal Reserve…

Market Review The benchmark S&P 500 index posted a welcome 7.1% gain to close out a challenging calendar year. Earnings results continued to surprise to the upside, although overall growth was more modest, with a 3.5% rise outpacing expectations for no growth. Revenue growth topped estimates by 2.5%, expanding 11.4%. Despite a flurry of four…

Market Review After a 2nd quarter most investors want to forget, the smaller 5.3% S&P 500 drop experienced in the 3rd isn’t any easier to swallow. The net move masks a tale of two markets, with a sharp rally followed by a slightly sharper pullback. Stubborn inflation kept the Federal Reserve on a path toward…