Welcome to the Quarterly Market Review for the first quarter of 2022.
Investors had to deal with several major issues throughout the first quarter, including the impact of rising inflation, higher interest rates, ongoing coronavirus concerns, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
While January and February were not strong months for stocks, March ended up yielding positive returns. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here advanced in March, led by the S&P 500 (3.6%), followed by the Nasdaq (3.4%), the Dow (2.3%), the Global Dow (1.2%), and the Russell 2000 (1.1%).
Unfortunately, the strong showing in March wasn’t enough to keep stocks from ending the quarter in the red. The Nasdaq fell the furthest (-9.1%), followed by the Russell 2000 (-7.8%), the S&P 500 (-4.9%), the Dow (-4.6%), and the Global Dow (-0.9%).
You shouldn’t rely on this information as financial advice. Don’t hesitate to call your financial professional and get answers to questions about how market changes might affect your own portfolio.
All information is the most current data available at the end of the first quarter 2022. It is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities, and should not be relied on as financial advice.
Equity charts reflect price changes, not total return. Because the data does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted index composed of 30 widely traded blue-chip U.S. common stocks. The S&P 500 is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-value weighted index of all common stocks listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The Russell 2000 is a market-cap weighted index composed of 2,000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip common stocks worldwide. The performance of an unmanaged index is not indicative of the performance of any specific security. Individuals cannot invest directly in any index. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful.
Investing internationally carries additional risks such as differences in financial reporting, currency exchange risk, and economic and political risk unique to the specific country. This may result in greater share price volatility.
DATA SOURCES— Economic: Based on data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (unemployment, inflation); U.S. Department of Commerce (GDP, corporate profits, retail sales, housing); S&P/Case-Shiller Indexes and National Association of Realtors (home prices); Institute for Supply Management (manufacturing/services). Performance: Based on data reported in WSJ Market Data Center (indexes); U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); U.S. Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot price, WTI Cushing, OK); www.goldprice.org (spot gold/silver); Oanda/FX Street (currency exchange rates). v
