March 16, 2021—Inflation is on the minds and lips of everyone these days, and the just-signed stimulus package is increasing those concerns. Vaccine deployment is picking up, COVID-19 cases are down, spending is accelerating, and the nation is clamoring to enjoy the outdoors and one another in a way we haven’t in a full year. With the passage and signing of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) last week, we have growing conviction of strong economic growth in 2021.
March 10, 2021—The overall stock market has been treading water for a few weeks, with the S&P 500 suffering modest setbacks of 3%–5% since the start of the year (and no pullback of 10% or more since the March 2020 crash). Overall market volatility has picked up with fits and starts but has averaged much less than in 2020.
March 8, 2021— Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been around for decades but gained wide recognition in 2020 as an increasingly popular, alternative method of going public following a surge in initial public offering (IPO) and merger activity. In 2020, 248 new SPACs came to market, encompassing 53% of all IPOs for the year, and raised a cumulative $83 billion—more than five times 2019’s volume (Figure 1).
