The post-election environment and positive developments toward a COVID-19 vaccine have led to a surge in stock prices. The added clarity on these two fronts has boosted sentiment, which may present a risk in the near term as stock prices are near all-time highs.

A November To Remember

The reaction from stocks since the US election has been truly impressive. The S&P 500 Index is up 8.8% for the month, on pace to be the best November for the S&P 500 in 40 years. Small caps have also soared, with the Russell 2000 Index up 16%, which would be its second-best month ever. Although we remain longer-term bullish on equities

Fixed income investors aren’t used to having to deal with the volatility of stocks, but in the year that is 2020, that is exactly what has happened thus far. Unfortunately, while we don’t see the volatility of Q1 2020 continuing in 2021, we do believe that interest rates may continue to rise in 2021, and this may put more near-term pressure on bond returns.

Two technical reasons lead us to believe that the yield on the 10-year Treasury note has not only bottomed, but could be headed higher in 2021.

Inverse Head and Shoulders Pattern

One of the most well-known patterns in technical analysis is the Hea

Corporate America delivered quite an encore to a surprisingly good second quarter earnings season with more of the same in the third quarter, despite a higher bar. S&P 500 Index companies didn’t quite match the biggest upside surprise ever—but they came close. We’re optimistic about the earnings recovery in 2021 and beyond, and outline five key takeaways for investors.

An Encore Performance

Earnings blew away expectations during the second quarter as the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdowns early in the quarter, followed by the uncertainty and unevenness of the reopening and limited guidance from corporate

It took more than two years, but small caps finally broke out to new highs, as the Russell 2000 Index on Friday closed at its first new high since August 31, 2018.

This capped off one of the longest stretches ever without a new high.

“We’ve seen large cap strength for years, but it is great to finally see the little guys join the party,” explained LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick. “Don’t forget there are many more small cap than large cap names, so this is yet another sign that overall market breadth and participation is improving.”

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