From Equity Research
Markets digested a range of conflicting signals during June with inflation in key commodities rising amidst increasing COVID concerns linked to the Delta variant. Nevertheless, market complacency appears to be holding relatively high as reflected in the VIX index or “fear gauge” which ended the month at just below 16 having reached a high near 21 mid-month. For the full month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 0.1%, the S&P 500® index increased 2.2%, and the smaller cap weighted Russell 2000® increased 1.8%.