Happy New Year to Everyone! Spotlight Growth Wishes You and Your Family a Very Happy and Healthy New Year!
As we prepare for 2018, we reflect on the past year and the various ups and down that came along the way. U.S. stock markets closed at all-time highs, after a surprisingly strong year that defied critics and talking heads. However, it is Bitcoin that really swept the world by storm in 2017. The cryptocurrency era has continued to gain momentum, even as some critics warn that we are witnessing the biggest bubble in human history. Either way, blockchain technology had a breakout year and is expected to gain further momentum in 2018.
Here is the scorecard for 2017:
Dow Jones: 24%
S&P 500: 19%
Nasdaq: 31%
Russell 2000 13%
Emerging Markets: 33% (EEM)
Volatility (VIX): -21%
Gold: 13%
Long Term 20+ Year U.S. Treasuries (TLT): 6.5%
Junk Bonds 1% (JNK)
Cryptocurrency:
Bitcoin 1,251%
Ethereum: 8,881%
Litecoin: 4,728%
Ripple: 6,311%
Bitcoin Cash: 770%
Dash 205%
(performance numbers from BusinessInsider.com)
Futures and Commodities:
Palladium: 54.43%
Lumber 34.06%
Copper: 31.51%
Rough Rice: 23.99%
Heating Oil: 19.23%
Brent Crude: 17.25%
Euro: 14.01%
Feeder Cattle: 12.19%
WTI Crude Oil: 11.88%
Cotton: 11.11%
GBP: 9.61%
AUD: 8.43%
Lean Hogs: 8.24%
Gasoline RBOB: 7%
CAD: 6.89%
Silver: 6.23%
Oats: 5.69%
Live Cattle: 4.80%
Wheat: 4.72%
CHF: 4.67%
JPY: 3.62%
Platinum: 3.20%
NZD: 2.34%
30-Year Bond: 1.43%
Soybean Meal: 0.19%
10-Year Note: -.21%
Corn: -.28%
2-Year Note: -1.20%
5-Year Note: -1.30%
Canola: -3.36%
Soybeans: -4.13%
Soybean Oil: -4.21%
Coffee: -7.92%
USD: -10.08%
Cocoa: 11.19%
Ethanol: -17.25%
Natural Gas: -20.65%
Sugar -22.35%
Orange Juice: -29.77%
(performance from Finviz.com)
With 2017 in the record books, we reflect on a fantastic bull run across numerous markets. However, 2018 may not be as easy as this past year and many economists are already seeing warning signs for the next recession. Investors and traders must remain vigilant as ever in 2018, as the bull market continues into unchartered territory.
Happy New Year to all our loyal readers and subscribers!
