Volatility returned last week due to trade tensions and a sudden geopolitical shock, even though economic data showed moderating growth and lower inflation.
Investors digested a fragile U.S.–China trade truce, a steady but slowing labor market, and an escalation in the Israel–Iran conflict that sent safe-haven assets soaring. In this commentary, we break down the key developments, from Washington to the Middle East, and discuss what they mean for markets, interest rates, and long-term investors.
Market Commentary 7/1/24
How Concentrated AI Tech Stocks are Impacting the S&P 500 Performance
The S&P 500 Index, a well-known stock market index, tracks the performance of 500 of the largest U.S. companies. Many large-cap ETFs passively follow this broad index, and investors use it as a benchmark to gauge the relative performance of their portfolios. This year, however, a unique phenomenon is impacting the S&P 500. AI stocks are driving much of the index’s total return.
The artificial intelligence (AI) industry is experiencing rapid growth. Large technology companies are investing billions in computer chips to train their AI models. As a result, AI chip makers have contributed to more than one third of the S&P 500 Index’s year-to-date return.
Want to read more about the impact of concentrated AI tech stocks? Click below to download the entire market commentary…
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The first half of 2025 was busy and eventful, but for all that happened, markets ended the first half not far from where they started the year. The S&P 500 returned 6.1% through the end of June after being down by over 15% at one point in April. Long-term interest rates, as measured by the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond yield, ranged from 4.40% to 5.10% but ended the first half of the year right where it started, near 4.80%. If one did not follow the markets closely, it might seem as though little had changed.
Market Commentary 6/18/25
Volatility returned last week due to trade tensions and a sudden geopolitical shock, even though economic data showed moderating growth and lower inflation.
Investors digested a fragile U.S.–China trade truce, a steady but slowing labor market, and an escalation in the Israel–Iran conflict that sent safe-haven assets soaring. In this commentary, we break down the key developments, from Washington to the Middle East, and discuss what they mean for markets, interest rates, and long-term investors.