U.S. Economic and Market Highlights

• U.S. and developed market international stocks stumbled in the first quarter of 2018, tripped up by concerns surrounding inflation, trade policy spats, and the threat of increased regulatory focus on high-flying technology sector companies.
• Growth style U.S. stocks extended their sharp 2017 outperformance over value their peers during the quarter, as the Russell 3000 Growth Index generated a total quarterly return of 1.5% compared to the Russell 3000 Value Index’s 2.8% decline. Read more →

U.S. Economic and Market Highlights

Amidst a stock market correction, occurring over the last couple of months, recent economic data support continued strength for moderate growth, unless outside factors interrupt recurring momentum.

• Fourth quarter GDP, in the U.S., was revised upward to 2.9%, resulting in three consecutive quarters near or above a 3% growth rate, which is above the Fed’s long-term, informal expected growth rate target of 2.5%. Read more →

U.S. Economic and Market Highlights

• Stocks globally snapped a record 15 month winning streak and were lower in February, due tosharp selloffs at the start and end of the month. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 4.3% and the S&P 500 fell 3.9%.
• The new Fed Chair Powell recently gave an upbeat view on the U.S. economy and said the data has strengthened his confidence on inflation, which is being interpreted as a more bullish sentiment for raising interest rates than his predecessor, Chair Yellen. Read more →