Monthly Market Insights | May 2020

U.S. Markets

Stocks rebounded sharply in April, fueled by a flattening pandemic curve and positive results from a clinical trial investigating a treatment for the virus.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which dropped 14 percent in March, jumped 11.08 percent. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 12.68 percent, and the NASDAQ Composite surged 15.45 percent.1

We are stubborn on vision. We are flexible with details. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

Slowdown in Infections

Just as it appeared that April might be a repeat of March, stocks turned higher with signs of a slowdown in COVID-19 infections, especially in Italy and New York state. Though jobless claims were breathtakingly high, they were expected, allowing investors to focus on positive developments. A more stable bond market also helped support the rally.

The stock market struggled to move higher, as a weak start to earnings season and troubling economic data created some underlying crosscurrents.

Gains Despite Stalled Momentum

Momentum stalled as oil prices drifted lower, but accelerated again on the news of positive results from a clinical trial investigating a treatment for COVID-19.

Stocks continue to climb higher as more states begin the initial phase of reopening their economies and others have announced target reopening dates.

Sector Scorecard

All industry sectors moved higher in April, with increases in Communication Services (+18.10 percent), Consumer Discretionary (+19.66 percent), Consumer Staples (+10.19 percent), Energy (+37.17 percent), Financials (+11.28 percent), Health Care (+17.88 percent), Industrials (+11.24 percent), Materials (+20.81 percent), Real Estate (+9.45 percent), Technology (+16.83 percent), and Utilities (+5.26 percent).2

U.S. Market Recap for April 2020
S&P 500 12.68% Month ‌ -9.85% Year-to-Date	NASDAQ 15.45% Month ‌ -0.93% Year-to-Date	Russell 1000 13.08% Month ‌ -8.01% Year-to-Date	10-Year Treasury 0.62% Month ‌ -1.30% Year-to-Date
Yahoo Finance, April 30, 2020. The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. U.S. Treasury Notes are guaranteed by the federal government as to the timely payment of principal and interest. However, if you sell a Treasury Note prior to maturity, it may be worth more or less than the original price paid.

What Investors May Be Talking About in May

The national dialogue over the COVID-19 outbreak has shifted toward restarting the economy, with state and national leaders devoting more attention to plans of loosening the shelter-in-place and social-distancing guidelines.

There are two key aspects that investors may be watching as they try to figure out the pace of the recovery.

State by State

The first factor is the nature of the reopening. The White House plan for restarting the economy involves a three-step process, but leaves the decision-making to the governors of the states. The reopening timing and process may vary depending on health experts’ assessments of the risk profile of each state as well as voter sentiment to return to their usual activities.

The second factor is the public’s confidence in resuming their pre-quarantine routines. How soon will people be showing up to work, going out to eat, and traveling? That is a clear unknown at this time.

World Markets

Rising global optimism worldwide propelled stocks upward, lifting the MSCI-EAFE Index to a 6.75-percent gain.3

European markets were broadly higher, with gains in France (+4.01 percent), Germany (+9.32 percent), and the U.K (+7.97 percent).4

Pacific Rim stocks saw similar gains, as Australia jumped 8.78 percent, Japan added 6.75 percent, and Hong Kong rose 4.41 percent.5

World Market Recap for April 2020
Emerging Markets	April	Year-to-Date
Hang Seng (China)	4.41%	-12.58%
Kospi (Korea)	10.99%	-11.38%
Nikkei (Japan)	6.75%	-14.64%
Sensex (India)	14.42%	-18.27%
Jakarta Composite (Indonesia)	3.91%	-25.13%
Bovespa (Brazil)	10.25%	-30.58%
IPC All-Share (Mexico)	5.54%	-16.24%
Merval (Argentina)	34.19%	-21.43%
ASX 200 (Australia)	8.78%	-17.38%
Europe
DAX (Germany)	9.32%	-18.02%
CAC 40 (France)	4.01%	-23.52%
Dow Jones Russia Index (Russia)	10.90%	-27.37%
FTSE 100 (Great Britain)	7.97%	-18.95%
Yahoo Finance, April 30,2020. The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. International investments carry additional risks, which include differences in financial reporting standards, currency exchange rates, political risks unique to a specific country, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets. These factors may result in greater share price volatility.

Indicators

Gross Domestic Product

The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8-percent annualized rate during the first quarter, which was the biggest drop in GDP since the fourth quarter of 2008.6

Employment

The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4 percent, up from the previous month’s 3.5-percent rate, as employers shed 701,000 jobs in March. Keep in mind that this month’s jobs report did not fully reflect the jobless claims filed during the last two weeks of March.7

Retail Sales

Spending by American consumers dropped in March, with retail sales falling 8.7 percent. It was the deepest decline since the tracking of retail sales began in 1992.8

Industrial Production

Industrial output fell 5.4 percent, the sharpest decline since 1946. Motor vehicles and parts were hit particularly hard, sliding 28 percent.9

Housing

Housing starts were affected by the downturn, falling by 22.3 percent.10

Existing home sales declined by 8.5 percent as buyer-and-seller activity slowed.11

New home sales tumbled 15.4 percent in March, representing the biggest drop since July 2013.12

Consumer Price Index

The cost of consumer goods fell by 0.4 percent in March, led by declines in energy (-5.8 percent), apparel (-2.0 percent), and transportation services (-1.9 percent). Excluding food and energy, the CPI fell by 0.1 percent.13

Durable Goods Orders

Orders of long-lasting goods shrank 14.4 percent, weighed down by orders for aircraft and their corresponding parts.14

The Fed

Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s two unscheduled meetings in March were released during the month.

The meetings resulted in a 50 basis point rate cut in the federal funds rate, followed by another 100 basis point cut. The meeting notes reflected how alarmed Fed officials were about the economic situation and the disruptions in the financial markets.15

Following the conclusion of the April 28th-29th meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, Fed Chair Jerome Powell did not announce any new policies, but did emphasize the Fed’s commitment to using all available tools to support economic recovery.16

By the Numbers: Camping