The equity markets declined in November over concerns of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.

October was a strong month for equities, following a tough September. Despite ongoing concerns about supply chain disruptions and inflation, strong Q3 corporate earnings lifted the US stock market to reach new all-time highs.

In the November Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Fed policymakers left interest rates near zero but also announced a plan to start winding down or ‘tapering’ its bond purchasing program.

While inflation is higher and likely to remain elevated due to challenges created by the pandemic, a look into the structural composition and the types of inflation may provide insight into how high inflation may go.

Equities eked out a 0.6% gain for the third quarter driven by a select handful of large technology companies.

A safe haven during the 2020 pandemic, gold rose 20.9%¹ and outperformed the S&P 500 index which gained 18.7%. However, the commodity has slowed down in 2021 and is down -4.7% for the year² despite widespread inflation concerns.

US stocks climbed higher for the seventh straight month, gaining 3.0% in August.

If you know anyone who is in the market for a home, then you have likely heard anecdotes on how they were outbid multiple times with offers higher than the asking price.