Quarterly Market Review: Q2 – 2012
By Meredith StoudtPosted on July 2nd, 2012
A strong finish in June couldn’t overcome equities’ difficulties earlier in the quarter as Greece narrowly avoided a showdown with its eurozone peers. The Dow and the S&P 500 held up the best, while the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 saw bigger quarterly losses. Nevertheless, the previous quarter’s performance means that all four domestic indices still have strong gains year-to-date, with the Nasdaq in the lead for 2012.
Anxiety about Europe also led to skyrocketing demand for U.S. Treasuries; as prices rose, the 10-year yield hit a historic low in June. As the global economy showed signs of slowing, oil prices fell dramatically, ending at roughly $85 a barrel. Despite a late-inning bounce, gold ended the quarter with a loss of roughly $75 an ounce, while the struggles overseas helped the dollar gain almost 6% against the euro.
| Market/Index | 2011 Close | As of 6/29 | Monthly Change | Quarterly Change | YTD Change |
| DJIA | 12217.56 | 12880.09 | 3.93% | -2.51% | 5.42% |
| NASDAQ | 2605.15 | 2935.05 | 3.81% | -5.06% | 12.66% |
| S&P 500 | 1257.60 | 1362.15 | 3.96% | -3.29% | 8.31% |
| Russell 2000 | 740.92 | 798.49 | 4.81% | -3.83% | 7.77% |
| Global Dow | 1801.60 | 1831.63 | 5.09% | -8.37% | 1.67% |
| Fed. Funds | .25% | .25% | 0 bps | 0 bps | 0 bps |
| 10-year Treasuries | 1.89% | 1.67% | -8 bps | -56 bps | -22 bps |
Equities data reflect price changes, not total return.
Source: Broadridge