Introduction:
From mid-October 2023 through March of 2024, the stock market ripped higher. Mega cap technology and growth stocks led the charge, but the strength was broader with outperformance in Energy, Financials, Healthcare, and Industrial sectors. In the 1st quarter of 2024, the S&P 500 hit 22 new all-time highs, with only a (1.7%) drawdown. There was a collective sense of optimism, as the S&P 500 recorded its best-performing first quarter since 2019.
The logic was simple – the Fed was going to dramatically cut interest rates and risk assets would thrive with an accommodative Fed. While inflation is well off its...