A Better-Than-Expected Second Quarter

August 1, 2023

The U.S. stock market had a strong second quarter, holding up better than expected. Inflation was one of the major issues of the past few years and is finally seeing a more positive trend. But some other factors remain in play that could point to a less certain outlook for the second half of 2023.

With international markets in flux, this might be a good time for investors to make sure that their portfolios haven’t drifted too far from their original foreign versus domestic targets – and rebalance accordingly.

Read the full report

 

More About Economic Updates
Despite initial predictions of a slowdown, the U.S. economy showed resilience through strong consumer spending and business investment. With the stock market rallying and inflation nearing the Fed’s target, find out what’s driving the third quarter market and beyond.
Economic predictions heading into Q4 were frosty, but 2023 ended much better than expected. Many factors threatened economic health such as the war in Ukraine and interest rates. Read more about how the market fared and what that means for the coming year.
Despite things pointing to more of a downer, Q3 turned out better than expected. See what factors played to a stronger third quarter.
Let’s review the events of 2022 and how they’ve led to our current state of continuing market volatility and stubborn inflation. Even so, we still believe in the stock market over the long run.
Markets were volatile in the third quarter as investors tried to guess how the Fed would act to address inflation. While the current choppiness may continue in the near future, we still believe in the market over the long run.
The second quarter saw unrelenting inflation and a volatile stock market. Not all economic indicators were negative, however. Job growth remains strong, unemployment is down and business sentiment remains optimistic.