April showers bring May flowers?

Fifteen months after a drawdown of over 25%, the S&P 500 fully recovered and proceeded to set new all-time highs in January 2024. The index has fallen by as much as 5.5% and currently sits 4.2% below its all-time high. Is this drawdown simply a breather on the road to more all-time highs, or is it more pain ahead?
Yields on long-term Treasury bonds rose significantly in April. The 5-year Treasury note increased 51 basis points, the most of any duration on the curve. The 2-year, 3-year, 10-year, 20-year, and 30-year all increased by at least 45 basis points, while there was little activity on the shorter end of the curve. Bond fund performance slumped due to the higher yields.
The monthly US Consumer Price Index rose 0.38% in March, and US Personal Spending’s Month-over-Month increase of 0.84% was the highest in 14 months. The Year-over-Year US Producer Price Index came in at 2.09%, the first time above 2% since April 2023.
Despite April jobs report showing hiring and wage growth slowing and unemployment unexpectedly rising, the overall economic data remains relatively strong and inflation stubbornly sticky, causing the Federal Reserve to hold its key Fed Funds Rate at 5.50% at its May 1st, 2024 meeting, marking the sixth consecutive meeting in which the Fed left rates unchanged. Prior to the meeting, the equity markets and fixed income markets feared that the Federal Reserve could increase interest rates rather than reduce them as had been expected, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated in is press conference that rate hikes are unlikely. This has helped calm the markets, at least for now.

Equities endured a tough April following three straight months of gains. The S&P 500 fell 4.1% in its first monthly decline of 2024, the NASDAQ sank 4.4%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 4.9%. Emerging Markets was the only index on our chart (below) to post a positive gain in April. The Russell 2000 was the worst performer in April, plummeting 7%.

Only the Utilities sector was positive in April. Of the remaining ten sectors, Real Estate was the worst-performing sector, sinking 8.5%, followed by Technology and Health Care, which fell 5.8% and 5.0%, respectively.

The Economic Data Rundown

Employment

The US labor market cooled notably last month, as both hiring and wage growth slowed more than economists had expected in April.

The US economy added 175,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate rose to 3.9% last month, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Friday. Wall Street economists had expected nonfarm payrolls to rise by 240,000 and the unemployment rate to remain at 3.8%, according to Bloomberg data.

Wages also rose less than forecast, with average hourly earnings rising 0.2% over last month and 3.9% over the last year. Economists had expected to see a monthly jump of 0.3% in April and a 4% rise over last year.

Consumers and Inflation

US inflation has now hovered in the 3-4 percent range for the last nine months, with March’s figure coming in at 3.48%. This was also the second consecutive monthly increase for Year-over-Year (YoY)inflation. The Core Inflation rate for March was 3.80%, which continues to sit just below 4%. The monthly US Consumer Price Index rose 0.38% in March, and US Personal Spending’s Month-over-Month (MoM) increase of 0.84% was the highest in 14 months. The Federal Reserve held its key Fed Funds Rate at 5.50% at its May 1st, 2024 meeting, marking the sixth consecutive meeting in which the Fed left rates unchanged.

Production and Sales

After posting an expansion reading for the first time since October 2022, the US ISM Manufacturing PMI fell 1.1 points to 49.20, putting it back into contraction territory. The YoY US Producer Price Index came in at 2.09%, the first time above 2% since April 2023, while February US Retail and Food Services Sales increased by 0.7% MoM.

Housing

US New Single-Family Home Sales surged 8.8% MoM in March, but US Existing Home Sales sank 4.3% MoM. Despite the slip in demand for existing homes during March, a strong month in February pushed the Median Sales Price of Existing Homes up 2.5% in March to $393,500. Mortgage rates increased slightly in April; the 15-year Mortgage Rate rose to 6.44% as of April 25th, and the 30-year pushed above 7% for the first time since December 2023, to 7.17%.

Commodities

The price of Gold advanced another 5.8% in April, to $2,343.10 per ounce as of April 26th amid geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, a weakening dollar, and increased purchasing of the precious metal by central banks. Gold briefly topped $2,400 per ounce on April 12th. Crude oil prices increased slightly in April; the price of WTI ended April at $84.26 per barrel while Brent inched up to $88.44. Despite the muted activity in crude oil, the average price of gas increased 14 cents to $3.78 per gallon.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about what impact, if any, this may have on your financial plan.

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This newsletter was prepared by YCharts.

Content in this material is for general information only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.

Companies mentioned are for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of the securities. Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk.

The economic forecasts set forth in this material may not develop as predicted, and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is comprised of 30 stocks that are major factors in their industries and widely held by individuals and institutional investors.

The NASDAQ Composite Index measures all NASDAQ domestic and non-U.S. based common stocks listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The market value, the last sale price multiplied by total shares outstanding, is calculated throughout the trading day, and is related to the total value of the Index.

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an index of the U.S. investment-grade fixed-rate bond market, including both government and corporate bonds.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P500) is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly. The fast price swings in commodities may result in significant volatility in an investor’s holdings. Commodities include increased risks, such as political, economic, and currency instability, and may not be suitable for all investors. Precious metal investing may involve greater fluctuation and potential for losses.

Monthly Market Recap – April 2024

April showers bring May flowers?

The Economic Data Rundown