Market Insights

More Januarys than not seem to experience positive market returns. A few economic theories attempt to explain why this market anomaly could exist. One theory is some investors sell securities in December for tax purposes and turn into net buyers in January. Well, this January followed historical examples as global markets broadly earned investors returns in January, setting 2025 off with positive momentum.

The New Year holiday is a special time to reflect on what has passed and strive for a better future. A nineteenth-century poet, Alfred Tennyson, succinctly described it as a time to "ring out the old, ring in the new" in his poem, "In Memoriam A.H.H." Investors can likely identify with Tennyson's trope as the most recent chapter in investment history filled with examples of big tech, inflation, and higher for longer market interest rates draws to an end, preparing the next chapter after it for storytellers of the market.

After an impressive month of financial returns, November may have offered investors new investment insights. Many market and economic events unfolded over the recent past creating uncertainty and potential opportunity. The US election ended undisputed; candidate selection began for important executive branch jobs; threats of trade tariffs elevated; external conflicts consumed global politics; and US financial markets took another favorable step forward.