The S&P 500 Index closed at 3,972.89 on 3/31/21, 0.04% below its all-time closing high of 3,974.54 on 3/26/21.
In March, all 11 major sectors that comprise the index were up on a total return basis. The top-performer was Utilities, up 10.51%, while the worst showing came from Information Technology, up 1.69%. The S&P 500 Index posted a total return of 6.17% year to-date through 3/31/21.Again, all 11 major sectors were up on a total return basis. The top performer was Energy, up 30.84%, while the worst showing came from Consumer Staples, up 1.15%. One of the bigger stories playing out is the rotation from growth stocks into value stocks. From 9/30/20-3/31/21, the S&P 500 Pure Value Index posted a total return of 52.35%, compared to 16.18% for the S&P 500 Pure Growth Index, according to Bloomberg. Over the prior 12 months (9/30/19-9/30/20), the S&P 500 Pure Growth Index had returned 20.94%, compared to -22.01% for the S&P 500 Pure Value Index.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note closed trading on 3/31/21 at 1.74%, up 33 basis points from its 1.41% close on 2/26/21. The yield on the 10-year T-note increased by 82 bps in Q1, 21.
Some investors are shunning stocks despite their strong showing over the past year. A recent survey from Bankrate.com revealed that 39% of the U.S. adults it polled said they had no capital invested in the stock market either prior to the COVID-19 pandemic or currently.
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