December was a continuation of market strength driven primarily by expectations of interest rate cuts in 2024. Stocks and bonds both experienced positive returns in the final month of the year.
Small caps had another stellar month, up 12.22%, as the potential for rate cuts in 2024 drove rotation away from larger companies.
Treasury yields declined further, with the 10-year Treasury yield ending the year at 3.87%. This is around 0.01% away from where it began the year.
The U.S. economy is on track to end 2023 with a strong annualized GDP growth rate of nearly 2.5%, surpassing expectations from a year ago. This growth was driven by a resilient labor market, rising wages, continued consumer spending, and disinflation despite higher interest rates.