Market Recap – April 2013

Despite some bumps along the way, both the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials soared to new all-time records, and the Nasdaq set a new closing high for the year. The Dow followed its best week of 2013 with its worst week of 2013, while the S&P surpassed its previous record close on the last day of the month. The small caps of the Russell 2000 saw their worst week since June 2012, which contributed to the index’s first monthly loss since October. The announcement of fresh monetary stimulus in Japan and hints that the eurozone might begin to refocus on growth as well as austerity helped the Global Dow beat the domestic indices decisively, though it continued to lag them for the year.

A one-day loss of $140 an ounce sent gold to lows not seen since early 2011, though it subsequently regained more than half of the month’s loss to end at almost $1,470 an ounce. Silver also lost roughly 14% during the month, while oil prices fell below $90 a barrel. Demand for Treasuries sent the 10-year yield down as prices rose.

Equities data reflect price changes, not total return.