Knowledge Center

Webinar Replay: “2015 Year in Review and 2016 Outlook” webinar, presented by Josh Emanuel, Wilshire Funds Management CIO, and hosted by Jeremy Heffernan, Wilshire Funds Management Vice President.

Our Reflections on 2015—Unrewarded Risk Some investors believe in the “January Indicator,” on the basis that January portends the performance of markets for the remainder of the year. This premise held true in 2015, which began with a rather tumultuous month, fueling a gradual increase in equity market volatility from 12.34% to 18.72% at the end of 2015.

Economic Highlights: Real GDP growth slowed during the third quarter of 2015, expanding 2.0% on an annualized basis. The U.S. economy continues to move forward, with economic growth equaling 2.1% for the past 12 months. The only point of weakness during the quarter was in business spending, which was down due to a substantial accumulation of inventory during the first half of the year.

U.S. Economy and Markets: Domestic equity markets were positive in November, as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM returned 0.46% and the S&P 500 Index returned 0.30%. Market volatility increased in November, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) ending the month at 16.13, up from 15.07 at the end of October.

U.S. Economy and Markets: Domestic equity markets were positive in October, as the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM returned 8.01% and the S&P 500 Index returned 8.44%. Market volatility decreased in October, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) ending the month at 15.07, down from 24.50 at the end of September.

Investment Strategy—Positioning For Volatility: As we approach the end of 2015, the market environment continues to be characterized as uncertain and volatile, as investors continue to assess the global economy, earnings growth outlook, geopolitical risk, and the questionable direction of monetary policy.

Webinar Replay: Third Quarter 2015 Market Update webinar with Wilshire Funds Management CIO Josh Emanuel.

SANTA MONICA, CA, OCTOBER 13, 2015—The Wilshire Liquid Alternative Index^SM returned -1.03% in September, according to Wilshire Funds Management (“WFM”), the global investment management business unit of Wilshire Associates.

Economic Highlights: Real GDP growth was strong during the second quarter of 2015, expanding 3.9% on an annualized basis. Economic growth has improved during the last two years and stands at 2.7% for the past 12 months. Growth was broad based during the quarter, with consumer, business and government spending exhibiting gains.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) chose to leave policy rates unchanged yesterday, as concerns of slower economic growth, disappointing inflation data, and recent global financial developments have clouded the outlook for economic activity.