Markets Riding Wave of Optimism to Record Highs in 2019
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up roughly 16.6 percent YTD; it was up just 2.4 percent through the same period in 2018 Analysts partially attribute this performance to the actions of the Fed, whose chairman expressed “sensitivity to the message that the markets are sending” in early January The S&P 500 closed Q1 up 13.1 percent, marking the best first quarter performance for the index since 1987 U.S. financial markets recorded strong growth throughout the first half of 2019, despite trade tension with China and continued uncertainty from Fed Chair Jerome Powell regarding the timing of upcoming rate adjustments.…