Markets rallied to start the year, with all three major U.S. indices seeing positive returns in January after experiencing declines in 2022. The S&P 500 rose 6.28 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.93 percent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 10.72 percent. Equity markets were supported by falling long-term interest rates.

Markets sold off in December, contributing to mixed results for the quarter and declines for 2022. The S&P 500 lost 5.76 percent during the month, gained 7.56 percent for the quarter, and lost 18.11 percent for the year. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) declined 4.09 percent in December, gained 16.01 percent for the quarter, and lost 6.86 percent for the year. The Nasdaq Composite lost 8.67 percent in December, declined 0.79 percent decline for the quarter, and lost 32.54 percent for the year.

November saw market gains as all three major U.S. indices rose for the second consecutive month, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and Nasdaq Composite returning 5.59 percent, 6.04 percent, and 4.51 percent, respectively. Equity markets were supported by rising optimism from investors that the Federal Reserve (Fed) is set to start slowing the pace of rate hikes.

Equity markets improved in October, helping offset September losses. The S&P 500 gained 8.1 percent, while the Nasdaq rose 3.94 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) experienced the best month of the three major indices, soaring 14.07 percent.

Equity markets saw widespread declines in September, bringing the major indices to their lowest closing levels for the year. The S&P 500 fell 9.21 percent during the month and 4.88 percent during the quarter; the DJIA fell 8.76 percent for the month and 6.17 percent for the quarter; and the Nasdaq Composite fell 10.44 percent for the month and 3.91 percent for the quarter.

August proved challenging after a late slide caused by rising interest rates dropped all three major indices into the red. The S&P 500 lost 4.08 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped 3.72 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 4.53 percent. The sell-off was caused in part by comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell, who said the central bank would keep short-term rates higher for longer to combat inflation.

July was a strong start to the second half of the year for markets, with all three major U.S. indices experiencing gains: the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and Nasdaq Composite rose 9.22 percent, 6.82 percent, and 12.39 percent, respectively. Although all three indices are still in red for the year, these results helped offset second quarter losses.

Equity markets experienced widespread selloffs in June. Fears of a potential recession and high inflation weighed heavily on investors, capping off a challenging second quarter. All three major U.S. indices ended the month and quarter down: the S&P 500 lost 8.25 percent (month) and 16.1 percent (quarter); the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 6.56 percent (month) and 10.78 percent (quarter); and the Nasdaq Composite lost 8.65 percent (month) and 22.28 percent (quarter).

Markets sold off early in May before a late-month rally brought them close to even and led to mixed results for the three major U.S. equity indices. The S&P 500 gained 0.18 percent while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 0.33 percent. The Nasdaq Composite was down 1.93 percent.

It was a rocky start to the spring for markets, with all three major U.S. indices ending the month in the red. The S&P 500 lost 8.72 percent in April while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped 4.82 percent. The Nasdaq Composite saw the largest drop as the index’s heavy weighting toward technology companies led to a 13.24 percent decline in April.

Equity markets partially bounced back in March. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and Nasdaq Composite gained 3.71 percent, 2.49 percent, and 3.48 percent, respectively. For the quarter, the S&P 500, DJIA, and Nasdaq Composite lost 4.60 percent, 4.10 percent, and 8.95 percent, respectively.

Markets rallied to finish out 2021, with all three major U.S. indices notching gains for the month, quarter, and year. The S&P 500 gained 4.48 percent in December, 11.03 percent for the quarter, and 28.71 percent for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) returned 5.53 percent in December, 7.87 percent for the quarter, and 20.95 percent for the year. The Nasdaq Composite posted returns of 0.74 percent, 8.45 percent, and 22.18 percent, respectively, for the month, quarter, and year.

Equity market returns were mixed in November due to the appearance of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The S&P 500 declined 0.69 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) declined 3.50 percent. The Nasdaq Composite managed to eke out a 0.33 percent return.

Markets rebounded from September’s pullback with strong results in October, driven by improving economic conditions and a better-than-expected start to earnings season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 5.93 percent, while the S&P 500 saw a 7.01 percent gain. The Nasdaq Composite led the way with a strong 7.29 percent return. These positive results helped all three indices to record highs.

Markets pulled back sharply in September after setting record highs in August. The S&P 500 declined 4.65 percent in September but gained 0.58 percent for the quarter; the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.20 percent for the month and 1.46 percent for the quarter; and the Nasdaq Composite declined 5.27 percent in September and 0.23 percent for the quarter.

Markets continued to rally in August, with all three major U.S. indices setting record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.50 percent, the S&P 500 notched a 3.04 percent return, and the Nasdaq Composite led with 4.08 percent.

July was a positive month for most markets despite rising medical risks. The three major U.S. indices saw all-time highs as the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.19 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.34 percent, and the S&P 500 gained 2.38 percent.

Equity markets rallied in June, capping off a positive month and quarter for U.S. indices. The S&P 500 gained 2.33 percent in June and 8.55 percent for the quarter. The Nasdaq rose by 5.55 percent during the month and 9.68 percent for the quarter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.02 percent in June and 5.08 percent for the quarter.