QuantStreet Capital

The major market event in September was the Fed's 50 basis point rate cut following the September 18th Federal Open Market Committee meeting. There was broad consensus the Fed would cut rates, though the 50 basis points (as opposed to 25) and perhaps the tone of Jay Powell's press conference surprised to the upside...

After a bit of an early-August swoon, the stock market came roaring back in the last few weeks of the month. The S&P 500 finished up 2.4%, though certainly in the early days of August, that did not feel like a particularly likely outcome. In client conversations a few days into the selloff, our feeling was to stay put and not tinker with the portfolios we suggested in early August.

When growth slows and rates fall, what will happen to an asset class with long-dated cash flows that are not very economically sensitive? Well, it is likely to strongly outperform. Ergo the short-term outlook for growth relative to value/small caps appear to be rosy.

June of 2024 was a good month for financial markets. Leading the pack were (again) technology stocks, with the NASDAQ up 6% on the month. Close in second place were emerging market ex-China stocks, largely driven by India, Taiwan, and South Korea, all of which had large rallies in the month.

After a weak April, markets bounced back in May, with the S&P 500 staging a breathtaking rally in the final few hours of trading on Friday, May 31.

From the end of March until the end of April, the market had a serious rethink about the path of monetary policy for the rest of 2024.

To properly guide their clients, financial advisors must have a good understanding of the long-run behavior of stock and bonds returns.

With Tuesday's (Nov 15th) Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers bringing more relief on the inflation side, a new bearish narrative has been put forward by financial pundits over the last few days.

Market negativity reached a crescendo sometime around the middle of October, as interwoven narratives of doom and gloom occupied investor and media attention