Observations — A monthly advisor-centric column that touches on a variety of current issues.

Major U.S. equity markets experienced some consolidation in October after several months of upward momentum. The S&P 500 broke a streak of five consecutive monthly gains, declining 0.99%.

In September 2024, U.S. equities continued their upward trajectory, with major indices closing the month higher, extending a strong year-to-date performance. As has been the case for much of the year, the Nasdaq led the way with a 2.68% increase, while the...

August 2024 marked another month of gains for the major U.S. indices, with the S&P 500 rising 2.28%, securing its fourth consecutive monthly advance. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite lagged, posting a modest gain of 0.65%, and small-cap stocks, as measured by the...

Beginning in July and spilling over into the first few days of August, a notable sea change has taken place throughout financial markets. We have talked and written ad nauseum about the dominance of the Magnificent 7 over the past 18 months.

Last month, strength in the market-cap weighted S&P 500 and the tech centric Nasdaq persisted with both indices logging their second straight monthly gain and fifth monthly gain since the start of the year. The S&P 500 rose 3.5%, while the Nasdaq...

The month of May marked a robust rebound in the major US equity indices, following a lackluster April. All major indices advanced with the Nasdaq leading the way, rising 6.9%.

In April, U.S. equities experienced a downturn following the robust gains seen in the first quarter. Major indices retreated from their highs, with the S&P 500 dropping 4.1%, followed by the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 falling 4.4% and 7.1%, respectively.

In March, U.S. equities continued their steady ascent with all major indices experiencing gains. The S&P 500 extended its winning streak, marking its fifth consecutive monthly increase and closing higher for the 10th time in the past 13 months.

Major U.S. equity indices closed the month of February on a positive note, with the Nasdaq and small-cap Russell 2000 leading the charge. Notably, the S&P 500 achieved a significant milestone by eclipsing the 5000 mark for the first time on February...

A page flipping on the calendar was not going to put a halt to the strength we saw in equities last year. Fresh off an impressive rally to close out the last two months of 2023, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq continued...

After an agonizing three-month stretch, from August to October, where U.S. equity markets corrected over 10% and bond yields surged, everything was made right again over the final two months of the year. All major U.S. indices closed higher in December with...

November was the month of the reversal in just about all things related to financial markets. Everything from financial asset performance to investor sentiment to economic indicators to Fed policy expectations ended up doing a complete 180 given their course over the...