Robertson Stephens Weekly Commentary – July 1, 2024

Any fireworks over the next few days will likely be confined to the traditional variety, not those of an economic sort.  However, this is mainly because the cache of economic Roman candles has been seriously depleted after last week’s US Presidential Debate and Sunday’s French elections for the National Assembly, both of which fall into the category of geopolitical uncertainties that financial markets would prefer to avoid. Last week, equity performance was mixed, and bonds were down. The MSCI EAFE non-US developed index outperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets and S&P 500 indices. The best performing sectors in the S&P 500 were energy, communication services, and REITs. Across U.S. style & market cap indices, small-cap value did the best, and the value factor led more broadly. On the wealth planning front, we discuss the recent titled Here’s What Retirement Looks Like When Real Estate Is Your 401(k).