We pinpoint five reasons why U.S. equities capped off a banner year in 2024 and why investors were willing to pay for premium valuations. We also offer thoughts on the environment in 2025 and how to approach portfolio positioning.

To say it’s been a testing time for markets and investors is an understatement. Amid what can be confusing and rapidly shifting market dynamics, we give our thoughts on four key questions on investors’ minds.

U.S. government borrowing costs on longer-maturity debt have risen more quickly than on shorter-maturity debt since so-called reciprocal tariffs were announced. We discuss what drove that reaction and why the difference is likely to persist.