The U.S. stock market had lackluster third-quarter performance. Here’s how the broad indexes fared for those three months and the first three quarters of 2019, along with long-term returns:
One sign of a frothy market is the seemingly new perception that assumptions about valuations for certain startup companies have been fantastic. The WeWork fiasco — leading to the ouster, sort of, of co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann — is a telling example. Another is Endeavor’s second failure this year to take itself public. Peloton PTON, +3.05% actually made it to market, but the shares started trading on Sept. 26 at $27, two dollars below its initial offering price.
With interest rates declining dramatically during the third quarter as the Federal Reserve reversed course, it may not be a surprise to see that the utilities sector performed best during the third quarter. But look at the 15-year returns — the utilities sector ranks third.