Market Overview
Sources: Rates Data —Bloomberg Markets as of 6/30/14; Equity Market Returns and Fixed Income and Alternatives Data—Wells Fargo Advisers and Morningstar as of 6/30/14
Happening Now
Different Reactions in Global Equity Markets to Revised US Q1 GDP Release
After the disappointing US GDP announcement on June 25, which came in at -2.9%, equity markets around in the US and Europe reacted differently. Domestically, the S&P 500 returned 0.48% on the day and reminded us of the “bad economic news is good market news” environment that was witnessed throughout much of 2012 and 2013, as stocks traded up on bad economic data due to the expectation of continued monetary easing. Across the Atlantic, where much of the Eurozone is now exhibiting signs of a sustainable economic recovery, equity markets sung a slightly different tune. Below is a summary of Europe’s markets’ returns from 8:00am until the US market open and then from the US market open until the European markets’ close.
Sources: Bloomberg Markets as of 7/1/14
You will notice that the European markets sold off between 8:00am (GDP was released at 8:30am) until the US markets opened at 9:30am. Once the US market opened and treated this information favorably Europe joined in and rebounded.
While the European markets still finished the day with marginal losses the change in direction exhibited was a reminder that central banks are still supporting low interest rates as economic growth seems to be taking hold. The US being further along in the economic cycle is potential reason for the overall difference in market returns not just for June 25 but for the first half of 2014. As Europe’s recovery continues, we believe growth opportunities in European equity markets will continue to emerge. Investors should consider the effect this environment can have on their portfolio holdings and keep a forward looking view on how to incorporate this information into their investment decisions.
Important Information and Disclaimers
Past Performance is not a guide to future performance.
Investing in foreign securities presents certain risks not associated with domestic investments, such as currency fluctuation, political and economic instability, and different accounting standards. This may result in greater share price volatility. These risks are heightened in emerging markets.
There are special risks associated with an investment in real estate, including credit risk, interest rate fluctuations and the impact of varied economic conditions. Distributions from REIT investments are taxed at the owner’s tax bracket.
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Products that invest in commodities may employ more complex strategies which may expose investors to additional risks.
Investing in fixed income securities involves certain risks such as market risk if sold prior to maturity and credit risk especially if investing in high yield bonds, which have lower ratings and are subject to greater volatility. All fixed income investments may be worth less than original cost upon redemption or maturity. Bond Prices fluctuate inversely to changes in interest rates. Therefore, a general rise in interest rates can result in the decline of the value of your investment.
Definitions
MSCI- EAFE: The Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia and Far East Index, a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed-market equity performance, excluding the United States and Canada.
MSCI-Emerging Markets: The Morgan Stanley Capital International Emerging Market Index, is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the performance of global emerging markets of about 25 emerging economies.
Russell 3000: The Russell 3000 measures the performance of the 3000 largest US companies based on total market capitalization and represents about 98% of the investible US Equity market.
ML BOFA US Corp Mstr [Merill Lynch US Corporate Master]: The Merrill Lynch Corporate Master Market Index is a statistical composite tracking the performance of the entire US corporate bond market over time.
ML Muni Master [Merill Lynch US Corporate Master]: The Merrill Lynch Municipal Bond Master Index is a broad measure of the municipal fixed income market.
Investors cannot directly purchase any index.
LIBOR, London Interbank Offered Rate, is the rate of interest at which banks offer to lend money to one another in the wholesale money markets in London.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unweighted index of 30 “blue-chip” industrial U.S. stocks.
The S&P Midcap 400 Index is a capitalization-weighted index measuring the performance of the mid-range sector of the U.S. stock market, and represents approximately 7% of the total market value of U.S. equities. Companies in the Index fall between S&P 500 Index and the S&P SmallCap 600 Index in size: between $1-4 billion.
DJ Equity REIT Index represents all publicly traded real estate investment trusts in the Dow Jones U.S. stock universe classified as Equity REITs according to the S&P Dow Jones Indices REIT Industry Classification Hierarchy. These companies are REITSs that primarily own and operate income-producing real estate.