Category: Insights

Stocks and bonds had a broadly negative month in August. Bond returns were negative in most areas of the world as interest rates continued to rise. Stocks in the U.S. and other developed markets declined on average while emerging market stocks were positive. While the indices were mixed, persistent volatility in prices signaled that the | Read More +

Stocks and bonds both performed well in July, providing a moment of positivity in what has been a challenging environment for the global economy and financial markets. Still, markets have remained volatile, which we know can create stress. We feel it too. While markets had an encouraging July, the headwinds they have faced for much | Read More +

Financial markets ended the 2nd quarter of 2022 just as they began, offering investors no reprieve from the unease and uncertainty that has defined much of the year’s first half. Together, U.S. investment-grade fixed income[1] and equity[2] indices closed out their weakest start to the calendar period in nearly 50 years. At the same time, | Read More +

The market volatility we have experienced throughout 2022 continued to rear its head for most of May before stocks rallied in the final full week of the month. Equities finished the month roughly unchanged, and bonds had their first positive month of the year. May also saw elevated inflation readings showing early signs of the | Read More +

The market volatility that has come to define the start of 2022 persisted through April and left many investors feeling anxious. Policymakers – and investors – were focused on rising prices and efforts to contain them coming into this year. Unfortunately, that inflation continued last month, largely driven by dual pressures playing out on a | Read More +

Unsurprisingly, March was a choppy month for the financial markets. Stocks rebounded from the sharp sell-off we noted in February that carried over into the first part of the month, while commodity prices jumped around unpredictably, and bond prices declined due to precipitously higher interest rates. Looking forward, we see a reason to be optimistic. | Read More +

February was an uneasy month for financial markets, primarily because Russia invaded Ukraine. But even though equity markets have fluctuated sharply in 2022, we remain encouraged by the strong economic backdrop supporting the expected increase of interest rates in March. As a result, we continue to think companies should have a positive environment for continued | Read More +

January was a difficult month for financial markets, caused primarily by expectations of tighter monetary policy by the Federal Reserve and a soft start to corporate earnings season. The Russia-Ukraine tensions provided an additional source of uncertainty for markets. While we observed some recent downside in equity markets, we remain encouraged by the strong economic | Read More +

In November, stocks moved lower, and bonds provided a positive return as market participants responded to the uncertainty around the Omicron variant of COVID and the Federal Reserve’s statements that it may speed up tapering in response to inflation and strong employment. The MSCI ACWI Index, which represents global equities (i.e., both U.S. and international | Read More +