Market Trends & Outlook

Bonds had a great month in November. Indications that the Fed will pause again were extrapolated into easing expectations as soon as next quarter. Lower yields help the relative valuation of equities, although Factset earnings forecasts are no longer trending upwards.

Securities markets shrugged off a challenging three months and delivered robust gains across the board in November as hopes for a soft economic landing gained ground among investors.

There are many ways to track consumer and investor sentiment. Generally, only at extremes does the data offer very compelling investment opportunities.

The AAII Investor Sentiment is painting an intriguing picture as we step into the third week of increasing bullish sentiment.

The AAII Investor Sentiment is painting an intriguing picture as we step into the third week of increasing bullish sentiment.

As I wrote this blog, the S&P 500 index is up roughly 17% year-to-date. Most likely, your portfolio isn’t. This is a common frustration among many investors in the market this year in particular. As discussed previously, the S&P 500 index performance is a bit deceiving. The majority of the gain in the market this year has come from essentially seven stocks with the largest concentration in the index in terms of market capitalization.

Last week’s market surge carried the November rally forward, a momentum fueled by a significant repricing of interest rates in the bond market. Since the last Federal Reserve meeting, rates have taken a dramatic dip, sparking optimism in the market.

When looking at the markets on the day of the October CPI release (Nov. 14) vs. later in the week (Nov. 16), you’ll notice there’s been a big shift in thinking, with ZERO additional rate hikes priced in from the Federal Reserve, signaling their fight against inflation may be coming to an end. A June rate cut has actually been priced in, and there are signs that it’s inching even earlier.