The S&P ended 2023 up almost 27%. The Dow was up 16%, and the NASDAQ about 45%. Will those trends continue into 2024, or will high interest rates push those gains back down? Find out in this quick market update from Leisl L. Langevin, CFP®, CDFA®.
Welcome to You and Your Money. Empowering you to reach your goals with tips to help you Plan Well, Invest Well and Live Well. This month's market update comes from the Leisl Cording, senior vice president and financial advisor at Weiss, Hale and Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors. Now on to today's topic. How about just a market recap? How are we doing, Leisl? What's going on? Well, Gary, we were talking about it before we got on the show. 2023 had stock markets across and bond markets across the board in positive territory. And we saw the S&P and the year up almost 27%, the Dow over 16%, the Nasdaq up 45%. So that holds a lot of technology stocks and the bond aggregate up about five and a half percent. So investors were happy last year. And the reason for this was really because we started to see inflation show improvement. And so that means we're probably at the top of raising those interest rates that we've all come to get to know pretty well. Companies continue to hit earnings estimates, and we've seen some slower growth, although and and we've seen a really strong consumer. So despite all of this, we still do have some risks out there. We have a potential for maybe a mild recession that we might see. And with that, slower economic growth, rates hopefully will come down as expected. But if not, that could rock the markets a bit, continue geopolitical conflicts. And of course, it's an election year, so we'll probably see plenty of ups and downs this year, just like we saw last year. But keep the stay on track with these ups and downs. Don't let the volatility scare you away from your investment strategies. So important. I was fascinated by the year end numbers for the market, which you just shared because it kind of felt, as we were going through trudging through the year, it kind of felt like a train wreck. Yeah. But then at the end, you're like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. Why? And the markets really perform quite well. Yeah, well, that once we look at fundamentals and realize, okay, things aren't as bad and we're sort of getting through this raising of interest rates. So, yeah. So and I think a pretty good lesson because that's, that's what you're preaching all the time is just settle down. Yeah, everybody just calm down. Settle down, think long term. Exactly. There's bumps in the road, and that's just the way it's going to be. Exactly. That's it for today. Thanks for listening to You and Your Money. Find even more episodes, videos and other resources at our website. whzwealth.com. Be sure to come back next week for more tips to help you live fearlessy and pursue your financial and life goals. Until then, live well. Weiss, Hale and Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors offer securities and advisory services through Commonwealth Financial Network member FINRA/SIPC, a registered investment advisor, fixed insurance products and services offered through CES Insurance Agency. They practice at 697 Pomfret Street, Pomfret Center, Connecticut, 06259 and can be reached at 860-928-2341. Weiss, Hale and Zahansky Strategic Wealth advisors do not provide legal or tax advice. The tenured financial services teams strive to support clients in achieving their financial life goals. For more information regarding wealth management and customize financial planning with Weiss, Hale and Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors, please visit. www.whzwealth.com.