Easing inflation pressures and a resolution of the fiscal turmoil in the United Kingdom fueled a strong rally in stocks and bonds early in the fourth quarter, but hawkish Fed guidance, disappointing economic data, and rising global bond yields weighed on markets in December and the S&P 500 finished the fourth quarter with only modest gains that capped the worst year for the index since 2008. Learn more about 2022, what actions we took on McKinley Carter portfolios, and our outlook for 2023.

Sailing through rough seas is a frightening experience that feels like it will never end. Fortunately, rough seas eventually give way to calmer waters and a more comfortable sailing experience. Coming off strong stock performance for several years, the stock market has endured its own stormy seas this year with a significant pullback in 2022 as global economic concerns brought about by multi-decade highs in inflation, rising interest rates, and the war in Ukraine, have crushed investor optimism. We’ve experienced an unusual phenomenon this year – the simultaneous decline of stock and bond markets. Throughout the third quarter, investors’ concerns focused on global instability, rising prices and the possibility that central bank efforts to tame inflation would cause economic growth to falter. The result has been tremendous volatility in stock and bond markets. Learn more.

Our Senior Investment Strategist Dave Nolan provides a look back at 2Q2022 and the actions taken by McKinley Quarter. In the latter part of his investment report, Dave offers an outlook for the remainder of 2022.

Read Senior Investment Strategist Dave Nolan's first quarter review and market outlook for 2022.

Hockey's hat trick tradition is perhaps the most unique tradition in all of professional sports. For those of you that may not follow the National Hockey League as closely as other sports, a hat trick is when one player scores three goals in one game. To honor the player's performance, the hockey fans in the stands will then throw their hats onto the ice.

The stock market’s version of hockey’s hat trick is the double-digit performance of the S&P 500 over the past three years: 2021 = 28.70% | 2020 = 18.40% | 2019 = 31.49%. Read more of our analysis of 4Q2021 and a look ahead to 2022.

The S&P 500 hit new all-time highs again in the third quarter as investors looked past a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and instead focused on the positive combination of a resilient economic recovery, ongoing historic support from the Federal Reserve, and strong corporate earnings. Market volatility did pick up notably during the final few weeks of September however, reminding investors that the transition to a post-pandemic “new normal” isn’t always going to be smooth. We dig deeper into performance and outline the actions we took in McKinley Carter portfolios, plus provide our best-thinking on what's ahead.

Looking back, the S&P 500 had a strong second quarter thanks to numerous positive developments that led to a “Goldilocks” economic environment. We dig deeper into performance and outline the actions we took in McKinley Carter portfolios, plus provide an outlook for the remainder of 2021.

The first quarter of 2021 was marked by several macro- and micro-economic surprises that resulted in increased market volatility compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, but additional economic stimulus combined with accelerating COVID-19 vaccine distribution and a decline in coronavirus cases helped stocks start the new year with solid gains. Take a look back with us at the first quarter of 2021. Review what actions we took on client portfolios as market dynamics changed. And learn what we expect for this year in our 2021 economic outlook.

This is the first in a two-part series of blogs around Sustainable Investing. Here, we review the origins of Sustainable Investing and define what ESG means from a portfolio perspective.