In a survey of 1,736 HR executives world-wide by consultant Mercer LLC, about 38% say they offer a phased retirement, more than double the 17.2% that did so before the pandemic. According to the Society for Human Resources Management, 23% of U.S. employers had these arrangements in 2021, up from 16% just five years earlier.
U.S. stocks rebounded by just over 3% in March, but still recorded declines of more than 5% for the quarter. For domestic stocks, the quarterly decline was the worst in two years and snapped a seven-quarter winning streak. Foreign stocks were flat for the month, but also remained down by over 5% for the quarter.
Stock markets closed down for the second straight month, with global equities off by 2.5% in February and 7.4% year-to-date. Overall, foreign stocks have outperformed U.S. stocks, while value stocks held up better than their growth counterparts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine added geopolitical uncertainties to a global economy already grappling with supply constraints, soaring inflation, and pandemic related obstacles.
U.S. stock values dropped nearly 6% to begin the new year, with large blue-chip stocks down around 5% and small companies off nearly 10% for the month of January. Technology stocks, as measured by the Nasdaq Composite, declined 9% for their worst January performance since 2008. Domestic value stocks, as well as foreign equities, saw more modest declines of just over 3% for the month.
Even after abolishing its one-child policy in 2016, the number of births in China continues to decline. China’s fertility rate, calculated as the number of children a woman has over her lifetime, now stands at 1.3 … well below the 2.1 rate considered to be the replacement level. In fact, China’s fertility rate is now below Japan’s rate of 1.34.
Equity markets ended 2021 on a high note, with global stocks advancing more than 4% in December alone. U.S. stocks delivered yet another blockbuster year of performance, while foreign stocks saw solid, if somewhat less impressive, returns. The year will be remembered for heavy speculation by investors in meme stocks, special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), and cryptocurrencies.
Global equity markets declined in November, with domestic and foreign stocks down 1.5% and 4.5%, respectively. For the first eleven months of the year, global stocks have returned about 14% … with U.S. stocks alone providing returns in excess of 20% year-to-date..
Global stock markets returned just over 5% in October, with U.S. and foreign equities returning 6.8% and 2.4%, respectively. For U.S. stocks, it was the best monthly performance this year--and 2021 is shaping up to be quite a year for investors, with domestic stocks now sporting returns of nearly 23% year-to-date.
Japan is the world’s oldest nation, with more than 29% of the population age 65 or older. The comparative statistic in the U.S. and Europe is 17% and 21%, respectively.
Global markets ended September in negative territory, with stocks and bonds off by 4.5% and 1.8%, respectively. U.S. blue-chips stocks, represented by the S&P 500 Index, broke a streak of 7-straight monthly gains, but still managed to eke out its sixth-consecutive quarterly advance. The popular index is showcasing a return of nearly 16% for the first nine months of 2021.
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