US investment-grade bonds had a solid 2020 despite a tumultuous year overall. The broad Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index had a total return of 7.5%—not as strong as 2019’s 8.7% but its fifth-best year in the last 20 and the best two-year stretch since 2001–02.

“It was another good year for bonds in 2020, and some of the highest-quality areas of the bond market performed the best,” said LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick. “But like stocks, it was really the tale of two 2020s—before and after March 23.”

As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, by th

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10 Lessons LPL Research Learned in 2020 

LPL Research reviews its top 10 takeaways from 2020, the year-end Santa Claus Rally, and what the markets are saying about the Georgia runoffs in this week’s Market Signals podcast.

Daily Insights

Stocks Open Lower After Monday’s Weakness

The S&P 500 Index opened slightly lower this morning after coming under pressure Monday and suffering its worst decline to start a year since 2016.

• European stocks also are lower in midday trading.

• Asian markets closed higher with the Nikkei the lone major market decliner.

2020 is finally over, and we have many lessons to share from that rough year. This week we discuss what we learned in 2020, the January 5 Georgia election runoffs, and what the big 2020 year-end rally could mean.

What’s in store for 2021?

2020 ended with a bang, as stocks had their best end-of-year rally ever and the S&P 500 Index was up nearly 15% for the final two months. The previous times when stocks ended a year this well we experienced gains the next year every single time—with stocks up in the double digits each time. Even January was higher every time. With an improving economy and conti

2020 was a year characterized in part by the outbreak of a global pandemic, which captivated the world and shocked the global economy and financial markets. As we turn the page to 2021, it can be helpful to reflect on the lessons learned from such a historic year. We offer 10 economic lessons we’ll remember from 2020.

A Year to Remember 

To say that 2020 was a unique year would be an understatement. What began as an ordinary year quickly turned into an extraordinary one—does anyone even remember it was a leap year? Initial reports in early January noted that a novel virus was beginning to spread, but few at