Despite April showers, the financial markets maintained their sunny outlook.
For the month of April, the S&P 500 index of large company US stocks rose by 1.6%. Foreign stocks climbed higher still, up by 2.9%, helped by a US dollar that weakened against other major currencies. Year-to-date as of April 30, US stocks gained 9.2% and foreign stocks were up by 12.2%
Bonds rose along with stocks. The Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index rose by 0.6% last month. Through the end of April, the bond market rally in 2023 translated to a gain of 4.2%.
Below is a summary of April returns.
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