July was a positive month for both equities and bonds. Two sectors that performed particularly well were value and small-cap, growing by roughly 3% and 5% respectively. UK stocks outperformed the US and Europe, and the market reaction to the general election was muted given the strong odds and expectation of a Labour victory.
There was a tangible sense of volatility in markets across the month as investors observed and digested important economic and political data, including elections in both the UK and France, as well as Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
The second half of July also saw a shift in strategy, with investors rotating towards value/small-caps and away from giant tech companies. The Magnificent Seven felt the brunt of this, also impacting the wider S&P 500, which dropped 2% between the 15th – 31st of July. The tech-focused NASDAQ 100 was down by 5% over the same period, with losses compounding in the first week of August as the index declined by another 8%.
