Robertson Stephens Weekly Commentary – December 9, 2024

With few immediate concerns about the pace of economic growth —last week’s robust nonfarm payroll growth of 227,000 and an upbeat report from the National Retail Federation quite effectively set aside the slowdown worries — the focus now returns to financial markets and geopolitical turmoil. Major stock indexes ended mixed in a week that saw the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite all continue to hit record highs, while the Russell 2000 Small Cap Index declined after back-to-back weeks of outperformance versus its larger-cap peers. On the wealth planning front, we discuss the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) update and the increase of roth conversions.