The You First Blog

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

Over the past two years, investors have navigated through both the peaks and the troughs of financial markets. The notable double-digit decline in equities during 2022 was swiftly succeeded by a robust recovery in the concluding months of 2023. The final two months of 2023 saw a positive shift across asset classes, signaling broad market… Read More

The first half of 2023 was defined by contrasting themes. On the recessionary data side, we saw a slowdown in the manufacturing sector, coupled with tighter credit conditions following March’s banking turmoil. On the soft-landing side, the labour market remains strong, with unemployment rates hovering near all-time lows. Inflation has moderated only slightly, despite the… Read More