Monthly Market Summary
The S&P 500 Index returned +1.2% in July as 10 of the 11 sectors traded higher. Technology was the only sector to trade lower.
The NASDAQ declined by -1.7% as the the Dow Jones posted its best monthly return of 2024 with a +4.5%.
Corporate investment-grade bonds produced a +2.6% total return as Treasury yields declined. Corporate high-yield bonds gained +2.3% as credit spreads tightened.
International stock performance was mixed. The MSCI EAFE developed market stock index returned +2.6%, while the MSCI Emerging Market Index returned +0.8%.
Stocks & Bonds End the Month Slightly Higher
The S&P 500 ended July slightly higher, its third consecutive monthly gain. The index initially traded higher before giving up most of its gains by month end. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, which led markets higher in 1H 2024, returned -1.7% as Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook-parent Meta traded down after their strong 2024 start. In contrast, the Russell 2000 Index of small-cap stocks posted its strongest monthly return since December 2023. In the bond market, Treasury yields fell. The U.S. Bond Aggregate Index, which tracks a wide array of investment-grade bonds, traded higher for a third consecutive month, the longest win streak since 2021.
Investors Rotate into Small Cap Stocks as Rate Cuts Come into View
Large-cap stocks dominated in the first half of 2024, with the S&P 500 outperforming the Russell 2000 by over +13%. The S&P 500’s strong first half return was influenced by two factors: (1) investor concerns about the impact of high interest rates on smaller companies and (2) large-cap stock indices’ exposure to the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. This combination of interest rate concerns and AI dominance led to crowded positioning as investors focused on a narrow group of large-cap stocks.
The investment narrative changed in July after the CPI inflation report showed continued progress. The better-than-expected inflation report raised expectations for a September interest rate cut, leading to a significant rotation within equity markets. Investors moved from large-cap stocks into small caps, with the Russell 2000 outperforming the S&P 500 by over +9%. This year’s high-flying mega-caps bore the brunt of the large-cap sell-off as investors questioned when billions of dollars in AI investments will pay off. As investors rotated, the year-to-date return gap between the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 shrank from nearly +16% at the end of June to now only +3.3%. It’s uncommon for the stock market to experience such a large shift in such a short amount of time. There could be some residual volatility in the near term as markets continue to weigh in on corporate Q2 earnings reports and the anticipation of interest rate cuts.
This material prepared by TrinityPoint Wealth is for informational purposes only. Additional data provided by MarketDesk Research. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for personalized investment advice or as a recommendation or solicitation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. Opinions expressed by TrinityPoint Wealth are based on economic or market conditions at the time this material was written. Economies and markets fluctuate. Actual economic or market events may turn out differently than anticipated. Facts presented have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. TrinityPoint Wealth, however, cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information may have been condensed or summarized from its original source.
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