It was a roller coaster ride for equity investors. Following a dreadful December, the markets jumped higher in 2019 and ended the three-month period (ending February 28th) with moderate gains.
All major stock asset classes ended with moderate gains, with international stocks faring best. The Federal Reserve backed away from its aggressive plans to raise interest rates, and bond investors rejoiced.
There was no shortage of optimism over resolution of the trade war with China, although tangible progress on the difficult issues has been difficult to locate.