“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow” – Albert Einstein

Happy New Year!

After a difficult 2018, where markets drew down by ~20% from July until December 24th, markets rebounded handsomely in 2019, with strong returns across the board.

The Nasdaq, one of the major U.S. indexes, led the way with a final return of 35.24%. On the lower end of the scale, the FTSE 100, the United Kingdom’s major index, gained “only” 12.31%, no doubt hampered by the ongoing Brexit saga. In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite enjoyed a gain of 19.13%.

All in all, it was a great year for portfolio returns.

You can look forward to our January E-Newsletter, which will include some useful informational pieces including a full market outlook for 2020, in mid- to late-January.

2019 Results – By The Numbers

North America 2019 Start 2019 Finish 2019 % Change
Canada – S&P TSX Composite 14,323 17,063 19.13%
USA – Dow Jones Industrial Average 23,327 28,538 22.34%
USA – S&P 500 2,507 3,231 28.88%
USA – NASDAQ 6,635 8,973 35.24%
Gold Futures (USD) $1,285.00 $1,520.00 18.29%
Crude Oil Futures (USD) $45.83 $61.21 33.56%
CAD/USD Exchange Rate $0.73 $0.77 5.08%
   
Europe / Asia 2019 Start 2019 Finish 2019 % Change
MSCI World Index 1,885 2,358 25.09%
Switzerland – Euro Stoxx 50 3,001 3,748 24.89%
England – FTSE 100 6,728 7,556 12.31%
France – CAC 40 4,731 5,978 26.36%
Germany – DAX Performance Index 10,559 13,249 25.48%
Japan – Nikkei 225 20,015 23,657 18.20%
China – Shanghai Composite Index 2,494 3,050 22.29%
CAD/EURO Exchange Rate € 0.64 € 0.69 6.99%
Fixed Income 2019 Start 2019 Finish 2019 % Change
10-Year Bond Yield (in %) 2.690 1.919 -28.66%

 

Sources: Yahoo Finance, CNBC.com

This information is provided for general information purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice. Please contact a professional about your specific needs before taking any action.