The 4th Quarter of 2023 was very good in almost all of the capital markets, and this surprised many investors who assumed interest rates would continue to rise through the end of the year, depressing markets. The US bond market was up 6.82%. US stocks were up 12.07%. US Small Cap Stocks were up 14.03%, and International Stocks were up 10.51%. These numbers are for the quarter ONLY. It is a good reminder of how unexpected and fast market movements can be, and why it is important to stay invested even if the logical forecast seems grim.
