By Steven Smith | Investment Management , Money , News , Newsletters
The S & P 500 (total return) Index bounced back from its first quarter (.75%) loss, rising 3.43% in the second quarter. But US stocks were the lone wolf; with virtually all other major asset classes falling. The MSCI World (ex USA) Index fell 2.61%, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped 7.96%. After being […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Money , Newsletters
It was nice while it lasted. The S & P 500 (total return) Index fell .75%, its first quarterly loss since the third quarter of 2015. Some asset classes, of course, fared a bit better, with the small-cap Russell 2000 Index down .08%. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 1.42%. Others performed worse. The MSCI […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial Lifestyle , Financial News , Investment Management , Newsletters
Global equity markets defied predictions – and perhaps even gravity – in 2017. The S & P 500 (total return) index increased 21.83%, landing in the top third best performances in its history. Foreign markets, buoyed by a falling dollar, performed even better. The MSCI World ex USA (net dividends) Index gained 24.21%. The MSCI […]
Continue readingBy Right Path Investments | Financial News , News , Newsletters
Equity markets continued their record run in the 3rd quarter. The S & P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 4.48% in the quarter, bringing its return to 14.24% for the year-to-date. The index hasn’t had a down quarter since the third quarter of 2015 and only one losing quarter since 2013. In the US, Small […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Investment Management , Newsletters , Wealth Management
Stock markets around the globe had their best first six months in years. In the second quarter, The S & P 500 (total return) Index gained 3.09%; bringing the total increase to 9.34% thus far for the year. US Large Cap Growth Stocks returned 4.67%. While Large Cap Value returned only 1.34%. After years of […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Newsletters , Wealth Management
The “Trump Bump” continued unabated in the first quarter. The S & P 500 (total return) Index gained 6.07%; tacking on to the 3.82% increase in the fourth quarter of 2016. In a reversal from last year, the gain was led by growth stocks, which were up 8.91%, while value stocks gained 3.27%. The S […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Newsletters
Now that was exciting. With the surprise election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the S & P 500 (total return) Index gained 3.82% during the fourth quarter – and more than 5% since election day. The index was up 11.96% for the year. This, after losing 10.5% in January and early […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Newsletters
Markets continued to move higher in the 3rd quarter. The S & P 500 (total return) index was up 3.85% and 8.12% year-to-date. The small cap Russell 2000 index increased 9.05%. Foreign markets, which have underperformed significantly over the last decade, were among the best performers. The MSCI Developed Markets Index was up 6.43%; while […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Newsletters
The S & P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 2.46% in the quarter; but not without a whipsaw caused by the June 23rd vote in Great Britain to leave (Brexit) the European Union. Two days of steep losses (over 5%) were almost completely recovered in the last three days of trading. The index gained 3.99% […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Investment Management , Money , Newsletters , Retirement
The S & P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 1.35% in the quarter. This was no mean feat considering what was occurring in January. The first two weeks of January welcomed the worst start to a year for the S & P 500 in history. The index was down 7.93% from January 4 -15. For […]
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