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Market Update for the Month Ending April 30, 2023

Equity markets experienced continued gains in April, contributing to strong gains to start the year. The S&P 500 gained 1.56 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a 2.57 percent return, and the Nasdaq Composite eked out a 0.07 percent increase. These positive returns were supported by better-than-expected fundamentals. 

What Does the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Mean for Investors?

Americans have suddenly witnessed three very large bank failures in only a few days’ time. The first was the collapse last week of Silvergate, also known as “the Crypto bank.” Soon after, we read the news of both Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank collapsing. These are some of the largest bank failures in U.S. history. What is going on here? Should we be worried? Is another financial crisis on the horizon? The short answer is no.

Market Update for the Month Ending January 31, 2023

Markets rallied to start the year, with all three major U.S. indices seeing positive returns in January after experiencing declines in 2022. The S&P 500 rose 6.28 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.93 percent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite led the way with a strong 10.72 percent gain. Equity markets were supported by falling long-term interest rates.

Decoding the Debt Ceiling Crisis

The headlines last week have warned that we’re nearing a “debt ceiling crisis.” What does this mean? It’s estimated that on January 19, 2023, the United States will have borrowed as much money as it’s legally allowed to borrow and will be prohibited from borrowing more.

Market Update for the Month Ending August 31, 2022

August was a challenging month for markets, with a late slide bringing all three major indices into the red for the month.

Market Update for the Quarter Ending June 30, 2022

Equity markets experienced widespread selloffs in June as fears of a potential recession and continued high inflation weighed heavily on investors. 

Market Update for the Month Ending April 30, 2022

It was a rocky start to the spring for markets, with all three major U.S. indices ending the month in the red.

Market Thoughts for March 2022

Brad McMillan, Commonwealth's CIO, recently shared the March economic and market update from Commonwealth Financial Network.

Market Update for the Month Ending January 31, 2022

Equity markets had a rough start to the year, with concerns about inflation and rising case growth in the first half of January leading to sell-offs for all three major U.S. indices. The S&P 500 lost 5.17 percent in January despite a late-month rally that helped offset declines from earlier in the month.

Market Thoughts for November 2021

Brad McMillan, Commonwealth's CIO, recently shared the November economic and market update from Commonwealth Financial Network.