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| Research/Market Update |
Market Update is a monthly publication circulated by USI Advisors, Inc. and is designed to highlight various market and economic information.
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December 2019 Market & Legal Update
 “A Banner Year and Decade for the U.S. Equity Market”
Major U.S. equity indices hit all-time highs in 2019 and the S&P 500 had one of its strongest decades going back the last century. The year 2019 was quite a contrast from 2018, when money market returns were the best performing major asset class, which occurred only twice dating back to 1930. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and NASDAQ all rose during December to close the year with solid gains ranging from 25% to 35%...
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November 2019 Market & Legal Update
“Strong Kick-off to the Holiday Shopping Season”
November delivered strong returns with the three major indices rising to new record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 23.1% year-to-date while the Nasdaq registered an impressive 30.6% return during the same period. The S&P 500 has posted 23 record highs in 2019 with a solid 27.6% year-to-date gain despite global trade tensions, elevated geopolitical risk, and economic policy uncertainty weighing on investors’ minds...
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October 2019 Market & Legal Update
“Trick or Treat?”
October was quite an eventful month. The U.S.-China trade issues remain, impeachment proceedings are underway, interest rate cuts continue, and there seems to be no end in sight for BREXIT. October has historically been associated with significant market volatility, but the major stock market indices posted solid gains for the month...
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September 2019 Market & Legal Update
“An Eventful Start to Fall”
A number of developments regarding trade, monetary policy, oil supply and the political outlook have dominated the markets during September. After increasing tariffs on each other’s goods, the U.S. and China de-escalated tensions at the end of the month. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the second time this year but was more divided than before on policy. Additionally, House Democrats opened impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Despite the flurry of negative news, U.S. stocks were relatively stable in September... |
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August 2019 Market & Legal Update
“Trade War Tensions Rattled the Markets”
Equity markets declined for only the second month of this year amid another bout of U.S.-China trade war tensions and the yield curve inversion, signaling a recession could be on the horizon. Stocks were rattled by new escalations in the U.S.-China trade dispute, despite continued strength in the consumer sector and accommodative Federal Reserve policy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and the Nasdaq had their worst August performance since 2015... |
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July 2019 Market & Legal Update
“Fed Cuts Rates for the First Time in Over a Decade”
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to cut interest rates for the first time since 2008. The committee indicated a positive economic outlook but noted concerns about slowing global growth, trade tensions, and low inflation as reasons for the reduction. Following the move, stocks sold off and the yield curve flattened but markets finished July in positive territory... |
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June 2019 Market & Legal Update
“Markets Boom for First Half, but Risks Loom”
Thanks to some progress on the trade impasse between the U.S. and China and a more accommodating Fed shifting policy to possible rate decreases in the second half of 2019, the S&P 500 rebounded in June and had its best first half to start the year since 1997. The previous month’s 6% decline was due to escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China, as well as tensions between the U.S. and Mexico... |
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May 2019 Market & Legal Update
“May Mayhem as Trade Tensions Mount”
After the Dow’s best four-month performance to start the year since 1999 (S&P 500 since 1987), the Dow suffered 6 straight losing weeks, its worst 6-week stretch since June 2011. Trade tensions escalated when it appeared at the beginning of May that the U.S. and China were just a few weeks away from reaching an agreement, including plans to celebrate its conclusion. Instead, the trade impasse continues, and global equity markets steadily declined during the month, with the S&P 500 falling 6.4%. Bond prices advanced as U.S. 10-year treasury yields fell sharply to 2.14%, the largest one-month decline since 2015... |
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April 2019 Market & Legal Update
“10 Years In and the Bull Charges Ahead”
April marked another strong month for U.S. stocks in a continued recovery from the late 2018 losses. Very few expected markets to roar back this quickly in 2019 and concerns about slowing U.S. and global growth had pundits thinking there was a disconnect between the rally and the economy. Strong economic global growth and better than expected corporate earnings in the first quarter were among the key releases that contributed to U.S. equities reaching new heights... |
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March 2019 Market & Legal Update
“The Perceived Global Slowdown Can’t Slow Down the Markets”
U.S. equities continued to advance in March, after the Dow gained 11.6% through the first two months of 2019, which was the best start to the year in over 30 years. Equity markets advanced during the month despite continued fears of a slowdown in the global economy, disappointing manufacturing data, and an inverted yield curve, which added fear of a looming recession to the mix... |
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February 2019 Market & Legal Update
“U.S. Equities Off to Best Start in 30 Years”
The Dow is off to its best start of the year since 1987 and the S&P 500 since 1991, which followed the worst December for U.S. equities since the Great Depression. All three major U.S. stock indexes continued to post strong gains in February, helped by a number of bullish events, including healthy U.S. economic data, strong earnings reports, optimism on the trade impasse, and the Fed’s dovish monetary stance... |
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January 2019 Market & Legal Update
“The January Effect”
While the Polar vortex was not kind to much of the U.S. in late January, the equity markets added extra fuel to the fire to keep investors warm inside. U.S. equity markets regained their footing, with the Dow posting a 7.3% gain, its highest for January in the last 30 years. This was much needed after enduring the worst Christmas Eve for U.S. equities and worst December since 1931... |
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®2018 USI Advisors, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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Investment advice provided to the Plan by USI Advisors, Inc. Under certain arrangements, securities offered to the Plan through USI Securities, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.
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USI Consulting Group is the affiliate company of both USI Advisors, Inc. and USI Securities, Inc.
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