The initial outlook for the year reflected a sense of optimism as
investors anticipated moderate U.S. economic growth alongside
strong corporate earnings and global stability.
Diversified global investors were rewarded in Q4 and throughout 2025. The year witnessed a significant shift where foreign equities outperformed domestic markets, precious metals outperformed equities, and the U.S. dollar weakened against foreign currencies...
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, making permanent certain tax cuts originally enacted in 2017 that were set to expire, extending others and adding new tax cut provisions. While the bill was widely anticipated to pass, it removed one factor of uncertainty for investors and was generally bullish overall.
Coming into Q2, equity markets were in decline as investors anticipated President Trump’s tariff “Liberation Day” announcement on April 2nd. When announced, the new tariff rates were higher than many had anticipated.
As the Trump administration started enacting its policies, investors appeared to rethink their bullishness. By mid-February, U.S. large caps reached their near-term peak and started to trend lower.