From Equity Research
News of improving economic growth and surging vaccinations in the U.S. provided a constructive backdrop for equity markets in April leading to across the board gains in major indices. Although the news in the U.S. appears quite good for a summer reopening, other regions of the world continue to experience challenges with spread of the virus that represent a persistent global threat as new mutated strains emerge. For the full month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 2.7%, the S&P 500® index increased 5.2%, and the smaller cap weighted Russell 2000® increased 2.1%.