-Darren Leavitt, CFA It was an extremely busy week on Wall Street. First-quarter earnings results were highlighted by Apple and Amazon. Investors encouraged by their results sent higher shares on the back of increased dividends, increased share buyback programs, and...
Monthly Commentary – June ’22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was just an ugly month of June for investors and for that matter the 1st half of 2022. All asset classes seemed to fall except for the US dollar. The month started with a “peak inflation” narrative that was...
Monthly Market Commentary – April ’22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets had a rough month in April. Inflation continued to be top of mind for investors as data continued to show historic increases in prices. The Federal Reserve still appears to be behind...
Monthly Market Commentary – March ’22 -Darren Leavitt, CFA In March, global financial markets continued to be volatile, focused on the Russian/Ukraine war and inflation rates not seen in decades. Countries worldwide condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and started...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA A prominent rotational trade out of mega-cap growth stocks into value-oriented cyclical issues extended US equity indices gains in March. Covid-19 inoculations continued to ramp up in the US as broader segments of the population became eligible...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets started 2021 in strong form but lost some ground in the final week of trade. Covid-19 vaccines continued to be developed, and inoculations continued to be administered to front line workers and the elderly. A light at the end...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets rallied in December on the prospects and ultimate agreement of another tranche of Coronavirus stimulus. Covid-19 vaccine emergency use approvals from the FDA aided market sentiment even as daily infection rates,...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets rallied in November. A historic US election played out as one of Wall Street’s best-case scenarios. Three effective Covid-19 vaccines were announced over the month, which further stocked investor enthusiasm. Third-quarter earnings...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets had mixed performances in October. Investors were hoping for another tranche of stimulus from Washington, but the politicians were too far apart to get a deal done in the end. The US Presidential election continued to...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global equity markets continued their ascent in August. Developed international markets increased by 4.72%, while emerging markets increased by 2.89%. The S&P rose 7.01%, the Dow gained 7.57%, the tech-heavy NASDAQ led gains with a 9.59%...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Covid-19 infections continued to hobble the reopening of specific geographies around the world, while efforts to produce a vaccine continued to show positive progress. Central banks were reasonably quiet during the month, keeping policy rates low...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The financial markets continued to be volatile throughout June but were ultimately able to build upon May’s gains. Optimism surrounding the reopening of the global economy fueled investor’s risk appetite for cyclical issues such as financials and...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial Markets continued to rebound nicely in May as economies around the globe started to reopen. There were also constructive news headlines related to effective coronavirus therapies and positive data on some early-stage results for...
April 2020 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets continued to rebound in April as global governments and central banks added more stimulus to combat the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. Developed markets outperformed emerging markets, and growth...
Mid-April 2020 Market Update – David Young, CFA We vividly recall the financial crisis of 2008. The economy was quickly contracting, several financial institutions required bailouts, layoffs abounded, and the stock market plunged. But we weren’t grappling with...
January 2020 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA The markets started January with nice gains but gave back some of those gains later in the month on concerns related to the spread of the novel coronavirus and its effect on the global economy. During the month, the US...
November 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets crushed it in November with substantial gains across all the major indices. Record highs were inked for the S&P 500, up 3.4%, the Dow, up 3.72%, and for the NASDAQ, which gained 4.5% over the...
October 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global risk assets were in favor during the month of October. In October, investors continued to be hopeful that a trade deal between the US and China could be forged and also optimistic that a no-deal Brexit could be...
Third Quarter Check-Up: Is the US Consumer Still Healthy? -David Young, CFA It may seem like a simple question with a simple answer, but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. Financial trade publications and cable television networks often discuss the...
September 2019 Market Review -Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity markets around the globe bounced back from the sell-off we had in August. Uncertainties around trade continued to be in focus for investors as the US and China countered each other’s policies. The continuing...
