PUT IN WORK (12/4/2023)

The stock market has had yet another phenomenal week as investors' hopes are pushed higher and higher. The S&P 500 (SPY) rose 0.8%, and the Nasdaq (QQQ) rose 0.1%. Investors are preparing themselves for good news as we head into December, but will their hopes be met with confirmation, or will they be left disappointed?

The market's most recent push has left investors excited and hopeful for the rest of 2024. This seemingly sudden fire that's been lit underneath the stock market can be attributed to several things. Firstly, November is statistically one of the best months for the stock market, as we've seen over the last many decades. Even better for investors, when the market comes out of November with a strong performance, December typically follows suit. To put November's excellent market performance into perspective, it has seen the most significant percentage gain of any month since October of 2022; naturally, investors will be searching for more market gains in the near future.

However, several things that they'll be looking out for are coming up in the next few weeks, and results are sure to affect investor sentiment. First, we have the November employment report, which will be released this Friday, and many investors have their eyes on it. Although this is usually the case anyway, at a time when stocks are flying or plummeting, information such as this becomes highly pertinent. Many investors have bought into the soft-landing narrative that the Fed has been putting out for many months, for better or worse. This, combined with the other upcoming event that investors will be looking out for—the next Fed meeting, which takes place on December 12th and 13th—could theoretically make or break the market for the rest of the year, fueling or halting the rally where it is.

Expectations are high, meaning if they're met, we'll see the market push even higher throughout December. If investors are left disappointed, however, we may see a market reversal, whether for a mere correction or something more serious. But we remain hopeful and excited for the future

(Nasdaq ETF (QQQ) price from November 2022 - 2023 — each candle is 1 week. Chart provided by tradingview.com.)

PORTFOLIO UPDATE

Our portfolio did great, with some stocks remaining flat and others pushing higher along with the market. We're seeing many substantial gains as smaller stocks slowly but surely catch up with the larger market's movement, and we're delighted to see it. We plan to hold all currently owned stocks for the foreseeable future. As always, thank you for reading, and happy investing.