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Domestic equity markets set multiple record highs in February, as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM returned 3.72% and the S&P 500 Index returned 3.97%. Market volatility, measured by the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), ended the month at 12.92, an increase from its January close of 11.99.

SANTA MONICA, CA, FEBRUARY 9, 2017—The Wilshire Liquid Alternative Index^SM returned 0.59% in January, outperforming the 0.50% monthly return for the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index. 

Investment Strategy—Proceeding With Caution

U.S. equity markets rallied in the fourth quarter of 2016, on the heels of the surprise election of Donald Trump. Some aspects of the new administration’s policy agenda may foster higher economic and earnings growth (regulation and fiscal policy), while other aspects may prove to be prohibitive of growth (immigration and trade). Markets moved quickly to price-in the positive features of President Trump’s expected policy actions, with less attention to the potentially negative consequences. Recognizing that there remains significant uncertainty regarding actual policy implementation, our analysis continues to focus on the fundamentals of the macroeconomic landscape, while considering how such fundamentals may change in response to policy actions.

Domestic equity markets were positive in January, as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM returned 1.78% and the S&P 500 Index returned 1.90%. Market volatility, measured by the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), ended the month at 11.99, a decrease from its December close of 14.04.

With U.S. equities soaring to new highs and outpacing virtually every other asset class in 2016, many investors will find themselves looking at the statements of their investment accounts and asking, “Where is my fair share?” As practitioners in the investment advisory community, we all know and understand the long-term benefits of diversification, and we recognize the challenges in chasing performance. Recognizing that well-known and highly followed media outlets simply focus on the stock market and do not provide enough perspective into the performance of the global investment landscape, we would like to take the opportunity to provide our clients with a broad overview of the most important themes that impacted the performance of multi-asset portfolios in 2016.

Webinar Replay: 2016 Year in Review and 2017 Outlook presented by Josh Emanuel, Wilshire Funds Management CIO.

The U.S. Equity Market: The U.S. stock market, represented by the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM, was up 4.54% for the fourth quarter and 13.37% for 2016. This marks the Index’s fifth straight quarterly gain and, more remarkably, eighth straight annual gain. A portion of that “winning streak” is due to a rebound from the global financial crisis selloff. However, the market has continued to produce strong returns after the initial recovery, with a 14% annualized gain over the past four years. Following several rocky months to begin the year, U.S. equities trended upward for the rest of 2016. The fourth quarter benefited from strong economic growth and signs of confidence from the Federal Reserve.

SANTA MONICA, CA, DECEMBER 9, 2016—The Wilshire Liquid Alternative Index^SM returned 0.08% in November, underperforming the 0.87% monthly return for the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index. 

Domestic equity markets were positive in November, as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM returned 4.56% and the S&P 500 Index returned 3.70%. Market volatility decreased in November, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) ending the month at 13.33, down from 17.06 at the end of October.

We are not in the business of forecasting politics, but we are closely monitoring the actions and announcements from the Trump administration for clarity regarding the actual implementation of his proposed policy actions. Furthermore, we continue to objectively monitor a broad range of market fundamentals, and we are specifically focused on several factors in formulating our forward-looking views within the scope of the Trump administration.