The Federal Reserve's recent actions and communications affect both the markets and economy, especially as we head into 2025. Following Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference stocks plunged with the S&P 500 declining three percent—it’s worst day since August. Let me break down the key points to help provide perspective.
As we reflect on 2024, it's worth noting how many anticipated challenges failed to materialize. Despite widespread concerns about recession, market downturns, and political instability, markets demonstrated remarkable resilience. Looking ahead to 2025, the focus shifts from extremes to equilibrium.
The investment landscape in 2024 has provided numerous bright spots for market participants. This exceptional performance comes against a backdrop of strong economic indicators, including moderated inflation, robust employment figures, and sustained GDP growth - all despite various challenges including Fed policy uncertainty, election dynamics, and global tensions.
Interest rates have been surprising many people lately. Even though the Federal Reserve is planning to lower rates, longer-term rates like the 10-year Treasury have actually gone up from 3.62% to 4.38%. This is happening because the economy is doing well and people potentially expect sticky inflation after the results of the election. What does this mean for your money?
As the S&P 500 continues to march upward, the path of least resistance appears to be higher. Through October 31, the S&P 500 has registered 47 new all-time highs. The S&P is now sitting about 60% above its October 2022 low.
Although markets have performed well this year, some investors seem nervous about upcoming events such as the presidential election, the Fed’s next rate decision, and the state of the economy. In times of nervousness, many investors turn to precious metals--on of them being gold. While gold can serve many important purposes, some investors focus on it as a standalone investment rather than as a component of a well-constructed portfolio.