2017 Q4 Economic Update

Last year will likely leave plenty of material for historians, anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and economists to study for years to come. The S&P 500 Index advanced 21.83% in 2017 including reinvested dividends. No question about it, 2017 offered rich rewards to those who invested in a well-diversified stock portfolio. And it did so with very little volatility. In fact, 2017 is the only year on record that the index posted a positive monthly return every single month. In comparison to the average intra-year pullback of -13.6%, 2017’s largest intra-year pullback was only -2.8%. This lack of volatility was simply remarkable and should not lull us into a complacent expectation that volatility will never return. Read more here... Q4 Economic Update.