The latest thoughts on investment strategy and the markets, plus tools and templates from Raffa’s portfolio management team to empower nonprofits and associations to make better informed investment decisions.
U.S. stocks posted strong gains in August, supported by another solid corporate earnings season and continued economic resilience. International stocks also advanced but trailed their U.S. counterparts. Bonds ticked up in August despite continued pressure on longer-term government bond yields. Learn more.
U.S. stocks edged down during a choppy July as investors balanced corporate earnings against renewed geopolitical and inflation concerns. Oil briefly climbed above $100 per barrel after hopes for a sustained ceasefire in the Middle East faded, adding to market volatility. Learn more.
Global stocks declined in June on a pullback in AI-related stocks and higher interest rate expectations, but posted the best quarter in six years on strong corporate earnings. Fixed income edged up over the month and second quarter.
U.S. stocks posted another month of solid gains in May, supported by continued strength in technology and artificial intelligence related sectors, better than expected corporate earnings, and optimism surrounding further geopolitical de-escalation in the Middle East. Inflation, however,
remained a key concern.
Economic data remained generally resilient, while inflation moved modestly higher in March, with energy prices contributing to renewed price pressures amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Learn more about how stocks and bonds performed through April and what we are watching as we move forward.
March was a volatile month for markets, as the war in Iran intensified early in the month and had ripple effects across global markets. Learn more.
Market Commentary U.S. stocks edged down in February, though performance varied beneath the surface. Market breadth continued to improve, as weakness among large-cap stocks weighed
Market Commentary To begin the new year, uncertainty was elevated amid renewed tariff threats and geopolitical tensions in South America, the Middle East, and Greenland.
Market Commentary U.S. stocks were largely flat in December as investor sentiment remained cautious. Economic data reinforced expectations for a more accommodative policy environment from
Market Commentary U.S. stocks had a volatile November as markets adjusted to the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Stocks initially declined,