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

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...

October was just a continuation of a trend that began to really take hold at the end of July. Up until the time of this writing, the unabated move higher in long-term Treasury yields has rattled equity markets.

Last month, we briefly discussed seasonality as it relates to stock market performance during the months of August and September. Over the past 50 years, August and September have been the two worst months for both the S&P 500 & Nasdaq, and...

Seasonality caught up with equity markets again this year. Historically, the two weakest months of the year for equities are August and September.

After months of extremely narrow market leadership, strength in equities finally began to broaden out in June. It has been well publicized that much of the market’s advance this year has been driven by a handful of the largest technology focused companies,...

If you are coming out of May even more confused than before, you are likely not alone. Much of the year has been dominated by conflicting economic and market signals.