The You First Blog

On Wednesday April 2nd – after market closing – the United States formally implemented a sweeping new series of tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners, marking the most dramatic shift in American trade policy since the Trump administration’s first term. The new tariffs resulted in the sharpest negative market reaction since the start of… Read More

As we head into a new year, it’s hard not to see echoes of the past. In 2025, the United States will have a new president, though he’s a familiar face. Markets have rallied in anticipation of the incoming administration and its proposed economic policies, much like they did following the 2016 election. The U.S…. Read More

It’s been a nice couple of years since the 2022 market correction. The S&P 500 (one of the US Indexes) bottomed out at 3,585 in October 2022 and sits at 5,684 as of October 3, 2024. Once again, markets have rewarded investors with a long-term mindset and who do not sell their investments in the… Read More

On Wednesday June 5th, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem announced a policy rate reduction of 25 basis points to 4.75%, down from 5.00%. In the announcement, Macklem cited easing inflation (April 2024 CPI at 2.7% y/y), core inflation measures slowing, and lower-than-expected first quarter GDP growth. BoC’s three-month measures suggest continued downward momentum. Macklem… Read More

Stock markets have provided healthy returns in the first five months of 2024, reaching new all-time highs led by U.S. and Japanese stocks. U.S. firms have delivered strong earnings, reflecting a resilient economy. Although positive for investors, the pace of these rallies and the rising valuations are cause for caution, and could lead to near-term… Read More