May Monthly Commentary

US equities bounced around in May with trading marked by low volume and changing sentiment as investors grappled with the potential impact of mixed economic data on the Federal Reserve’s timing of a rate increase. Smaller-cap issues fared better than … Continued

April Monthly Commentary

International equities surged in April, with the MSCI EAFE Index gaining 4.1%, as monetary easing policies in Europe and Japan emboldened investors. Emerging market stocks also rallied as investors embraced the likelihood that the Fed would delay raising rates in … Continued

March Monthly Commentary

Stocks reversed course in March amid subdued economic data, expectations of lower US earnings growth, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. The S&P 500 finished the month down 1.6% amid weaker than expected GDP growth of 2.2% in the fourth quarter and … Continued

February Monthly Commentary

Financial markets reversed course in February as global equities rallied. The MSCI EAFE Index returned 6.0% amid investor anticipation of the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing program, which kicks off this month. The gains were also driven by strong returns … Continued

January Monthly Commentary

Global equities were a mixed bag in January as investors responded to diverging monetary policies and the resulting potential for an uptick in volatility.  The S&P 500 fell 3.0% on the month while emerging markets were modestly positive as the … Continued

December Monthly Commentary

US equities scaled new highs in December amid optimism around the economy. To this end, the S&P 500 returned 13.7% for the year and the Russell 2000 gained 4.9%. These advances came amid a slump in the rest of the … Continued

November Monthly Commentary

After a spike in volatility in October and a subsequent recovery, it was back to more of the same for US markets in November as many domestic equity indices scaled new highs.  Conversely, 10-year government bond yields in many countries—Germany, … Continued

October Monthly Commentary

Markets experienced a turbulent ride in October but wound up in a familiar place by month end with domestic equities positive and Treasury yields lower. A wave of volatility spurred by global growth concerns permeated through markets – first felt … Continued

September Monthly Commentary

Over the course of this year we have noted that divergent global central banking policies will likely have a dramatic effect on the near term investment landscape.  This notion was on display in September as the Federal Reserve appeared steadfast … Continued