US Large Cap Stocks were up 5.3%, US Small Cap Stocks were up 4.4%, and US Mega Cap Stocks were up 2.9%, supported by resilient corporate earnings, continued Al-related enthusiasm, and improving investor sentiment as geopolitical concerns eased. Major US indexes finished near record highs, with technology leadership again helping drive returns.
Fixed income posted smaller but still positive gains. Taxable Bonds rose 0.3% and Municipal Bonds were up 0.4%, as periods of yield relief late in the month helped offset pressure from persistent inflation concerns and a mid-month rise in Treasury yields.
International markets remained a bright spot, with Emerging Market Stocks rising 9.7% and once again leading all categories. A weaker US dollar, stronger global risk appetite, and continued strength in Asian technology shares supported the rally, while International Developed Stocks rose 3.1%.
Source: Bloomberg - All performance is percentage change of total return
The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as "The Dow" is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represent approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australasia, and Far East) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the United States & Canada. The EAFE consists of the country indices of 22 developed nations. The MSCI Emerging Markets is designed to measure equity market performance in 25 emerging market indices. The index's three largest industries are materials, energy, and banks. Bloomberg US Aggregate (BBAG): The index is a measure of the investment-grade, fixed-rate, taxable bond market of roughly 6,000 SEC-registered securities with intermediate maturities averaging approximately 10 years. The index includes bonds from the Treasury, Government-Related, Corporate, MBS, ABS, and CMBS sectors. Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index: The index is a measure of the long-term tax-exempt bond market with securities of investment grade (rated at least Baa by Moody's Investors Service and BBB by Standard and Poor's). This index has four main sectors: state and local general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, insured bonds, and pre-refunded bonds.