Goldilocks Trumps Tariffs
After an abnormally calm and placid 2017 in the global equity markets, a higher and more normal level of volatility has resurfaced in 2018. The year got off to a good start as the momentum from tax cuts pushed U.S. stocks higher by 8% in January. Investor focus shifted in early February to an uptick in inflation, a steady rise in interest rates and talk of tariffs and trade wars. Stock markets corrected by about 10% in February, retested those lows in March and have gone sideways in recent weeks.