With a scope that spans the globe, our Q3 Capital Market Review provides recent investment results by country, region and asset class.
From Q3 Quarterly Market Review
Here are some noteworthy highlights from the report:
- After years in which overseas stocks lagged US markets, investors with foreign investments were rewarded for their patience. The majority of developed and emerging market countries beat US markets during the quarter, with leading returns coming from such unlikely places as Europe, Brazil, Russia, Chile, Peru and China.
- US stocks posted positive returns for the quarter, though they were not as high as international stocks. Small cap stocks outperformed large cap, providing additional return for investors who embraced an extra margin of risk in owning smaller enterprises.
- Bond values, which tend to move opposite to interest rates, were negatively impacted by rising interest rates immediately after the November election. Still, total bond returns for the quarter and year-to-date remained positive.
The report reminds us that investment returns are largely unpredictable, and that a disciplined, focused strategy has a better chance of long-term success than one that attempts to outguess the markets.
At the conclusion, we present an interesting article called Quit Monkeying Around. This piece brings new perspective to the classic notion that blindfolded monkeys can sometimes outperform professional money managers by randomly selecting stocks with darts.
→ Read our Q3 Quarterly Market Review