State of the Market The fourth quarter of 2018 was tough for investors. After edging higher through most of the year, the U.S. stock market did an about-face. The decline started in October, but the biggest impact was in December. As of Christmas Eve we were on track to have the worst December in U.S. stock market history. The last week of the year saw a slight recovery but the U.S. stock market (Russell 3000) ended the year with negative returns of 14.3% for the quarter and 5.2% for the... Read More

Each quarter we summarize market conditions and trends in our Quarterly Market Review. The review provides detailed information about global capital markets including a timeline of events over the previous quarter. It begins with a global overview, then features the returns of stock and bond asset classes in the US and international markets. Read More

State of the Markets After peaking in late January, the U.S. stock market experienced a tough first quarter but has been on a slow and steady upward trajectory through the close of the third quarter. The Russell 3000, a good representation of the entire U.S. stock market, closed at an all-time high in late September. Our economy is doing well. Unemployment is at record lows. Tax cuts have increased corporate profits, capital spending, and shareholder yield (the combination of dividends and... Read More