Reflections & Resources

Market movements in March were heavily influenced by geopolitical developments following military conflict involving the United States and Iran that began at the end of February. Military action began prior to the opening of trading on March 2 and continued through the month. During the first three weeks of March, North American equity indexes declined between approximately 4.5 and 9 per cent.

Markets reacted quickly at the beginning of March. Gold and oil prices rose sharply on the first trading day of the month. North American equity markets were relatively flat on March 2 before declining at the open the following day.

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February ended with reports of coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel targeting Iranian leadership and nuclear-related infrastructure. Iran subsequently responded with attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests across the region.

Markets reacted quickly at the beginning of March. Gold and oil prices rose sharply on the first trading day of the month. North American equity markets were relatively flat on March 2 before declining at the open the following day.

Last year was productive for equity investors, with Canadian and American indexes delivering strong returns for the third consecutive year. However, it wasn’t without turbulence. The first quarter saw modest gains until a major policy announcement in early April introduced a new round of trade tariffs, sparking a global trade conflict.

By Friday, April 4, the North American equity indexes had plunged between 6.32 per cent and 10.02 per cent for the week. The MSCI All Country World Index fell 7.91 per cent over the same period, signifying the depth and breadth of the negative effects of tariffs on equity values around the world. Fortunately, by mid-May the TSX, S&P 500, Dow and NASDAQ had recovered these early losses.