Stock Market Monthly Update - January 2022
- January 31, 2022
Stocks ended January lower as investors dealt with concerns over inflation, the prospects of rising interest rates, and the pace of global economic recovery. The start of fourth-quarter corporate earnings season in January was positive, but not as robust as was seen in December. While the economy advanced at an annualized rate of nearly 7.0% in the fourth quarter, 2022 is expected to see a slowdown triggered by ongoing coronavirus disruptions and fading fiscal support. Escalating tensions between the United States and Russia offered further market agitation.
A late rally wasn't enough to prevent the major benchmark indexes from closing out one of the worst months since March 2020. Only the Global Dow was able to eke out a January gain. An end-of-month rally helped the Nasdaq avert the sharpest January decline on record. Nevertheless, tech stocks were hit hard in January as investors pondered how rising interest rates might weigh on that sector's pricey valuations. The small caps of the Russell 2000 dropped more than 9.5%, while the large caps of the S&P 500 (-5.3%) and the Dow (-3.3%) slid lower.
The Federal Open Market Committee met in January and agreed to continue to cut its asset purchase programs, bringing them to an end in early March. However, the Committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0.00%-0.25%.
SPENCER NURSE
Title:FINANCIAL ADVISOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR-INVESTMENTS
The Nurse Team has more than 50 years of combined experience in financial planning strategies. As of May 2021, the Team manages over $200 million in client assets. The team focuses on risk-adjusted investment management when assisting clients in addressing their retirement, educational, and philanthropic goals. Spencer and his team take direct responsibility of investment management for client portfolios. In the evolving markets and changes in clients’ lives, the team focuses on creating goal based strategies that are tailored to client’s specific situation at various stages in life.
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