In an otherwise quiet week on Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 turned the page on one of its longest-running bear markets. Rebounding by over 20% from its October lows, the blue-chip index has officially surpassed the threshold marking a new bull market. What is notable about the advance from last fall’s lows is how few stocks have participated in the upturn.
This Too Shall Pass
It has been a very challenging year for the capital markets. Not only have stocks entered a bear market, but bonds are on pace to have their worst return in more than a century. Typically, bonds have a negative correlation with stocks, and, as such, tend to have strong returns when stocks decline. However, this is the first time in 52 years that stocks and bonds fell in the same year.