The Markets
Equities recovered from January’s losses in fine style. The Nasdaq continued to lead the pack year-to-date, but by the end of the month the S&P 500 had set a fresh all-time closing high. The small caps of the Russell 2000 also had a strong month, leaving the Dow industrials the only one of these four domestic indices down for the year despite its February gains. Unlike its domestic counterpart, the Global Dow barely managed to squeak into positive territory for 2014.
The second month of cuts in the Fed’s bond purchases seemed to have little impact on the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield. Meanwhile, gold saw a rebound from its recent losses, gaining almost $100 an ounce and hitting its highest level so far this year before settling back a bit to end at roughly $1,320.
|
Market/Index |
2013 Close |
Prior Month |
As of 2/28 |
Month Change |
YTD Change |
|
DJIA |
16576.66 |
15698.85 |
16321.71 |
3.97% |
-1.54% |
|
Nasdaq |
4176.59 |
4103.88 |
4308.12 |
4.98% |
3.15% |
|
S&P 500 |
1848.36 |
1782.59 |
1859.45 |
4.31% |
.60% |
|
Russell 2000 |
1163.64 |
1130.88 |
1183.03 |
4.61% |
1.67% |
|
Global Dow |
2484.10 |
2389.81 |
2484.68 |
3.97% |
.02% |
|
Fed. Funds |
.25% |
.25% |
.25% |
0 bps |
0 bps |
|
10-year Treasuries |
3.04% |
2.67% |
2.66% |
-1 bps |
-38 bps |
Chart reflects price changes, not total return. Because it does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments.
read more: market month feb 2014