Though we have seen the markets generally move sideways this year, economic growth has surged in 2018. This is mostly due to an increase in fiscal stimulus. It is believed the tax cuts have added to both consumer and business spending. We are experiencing the 2nd longest economic expansion in history at 9 years (108 [...]
January got off to a fast start, with the DJIA, S&P 500 and NASDAQ leaping by 5.8%, 5.6% and 7.4%, respectively. Many market experts attributed that performance to a fantastic fourth-quarter earnings season and the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. For backdrop, consider this from research firm FactSet: 77% of S&P [...]
At the beginning of 2017, a common view among money managers and analysts was that the financial markets would not repeat their strong returns from 2016. Many cited the uncertain global economy, political turmoil in the US, implementation of Brexit, conflicts in the Middle East, North Korea’s weapons buildup, and other factors. The global equity markets defied their predictions, with major equity indices in the US, developed ex-US, and emerging markets posting strong returns for the year.
The third quarter of 2017 will be remembered as a winner all around – the economy kept delivering positive news and all of the US stock markets performed very well. In fact, the markets essentially saw all regions and sectors return positive gains for investors. For the quarter ending September 30, 2017, the S&P 500 was up 4.0%, the DJIA gained 4.9% and NASDAQ climbed 5.8%.
Markets in Review The US stock markets continued advancing in the 2nd quarter of 2017 as corporate earnings growth, consumer confidence, business confidence, the Fed and employment numbers all continued pushing the markets to new highs. For the quarter ending June 30, 2017, the S&P 500 was up 3.09%, the DJIA gained 3.95% and NASDAQ climbed 4.16%.
