Skip to main content

HBS Q1 Market Recap: March Madness for Investors

Retirement Market Recap Q1 2023

Following a disappointing 2022, where both equity and fixed-income markets struggled, investors looked forward to a more stable 2023 with diminished recession fears. While asset prices have partially recovered from 2022 losses, worries about an impending recession persist.

January was a particularly strong month for U.S. equity markets, with the S&P 500 gaining 6.18%, but volatility through February and March gave back some of January’s gains. In Q1, fixed income continued to face restrained returns offering indications of the economy's path. Instability within the banking sector has been the focus of financial headlines, spearheaded by the collapse of three financial institutions, all within the span of five days. Even though these collapses have been contained and are primarily due to individual factors, a renewed public fear and distrust of financial institutions appears to be on the rise. Markets outside the U.S. were mixed in Q1.

Investors are hoping for a return to normalcy in financial markets after three years of grappling with COVID-19, 18 months of sticky inflation, 13 months of geopolitical tensions and 12 months of interest rate hikes. As the federal rate-hiking cycle potentially comes to an end, investors may finally see their desires for 2023 come to fruition.

Read the Retirement Market Recap to learn more about the Q1 market performance, where we go from here and what to expect in 2023.

Please contact us with questions about this Market Recap or for information on how HANYS Benefit Services may enhance your organization's retirement offering.


HANYS Benefit Services is a marketing name of Healthcare Community Securities Corp., member FINRA/SIPC, and an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. Past performance is not indicative or a guarantee of future returns. The information in this piece is not a recommendation to invest nor should it be relied upon as instruction to invest. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Exposure to an asset class represented by an index may be available through investable instruments based on that index. Please visit our website trueplanadvisors.com/legal/indices_disclosures for further explanation and detail surrounding the indices referenced within.

Popular posts from this blog

Employee Benefits Offerings: What Perks Can You Add?

Employee benefits can play a crucial role in attracting and retaining top talent. Beyond compensation and bonuses, offering a variety of perks can significantly enhance employee satisfaction and productivity. But what should you include in your employee benefits offerings?   What are employee benefits?   Employee benefits encompass compensation, bonuses and various perks outside an employee's wage. By offering flexible employee benefits, you can improve employee productivity and loyalty while attracting and retaining talented candidates.   Personalized benefits examples   The type of benefits offered can vary by industry. We've compiled some of the most popular options to help you explore possible employee benefits strategies .  1. Social opportunities   Employee perks don't always have to be tied to a benefits package. Sometimes, the best way to engage your employees can be through social opportunities. Group activities can help im...
Read more

What is Risk Management? 4 Key Topics to Know

Understanding risk management in retirement programs  Managing a retirement program is complex, with multiple layers of risk. For organizations and their leadership, understanding and mitigating these risks is crucial to ensuring the long-term success and reliability of these programs.   It often leaves human resource professionals, employers and program administrators questioning, "What is risk management, and how can we excel at it?"  This blog post explores the various aspects of risk management in retirement program administration and provides actionable insights to help organizations better manage these risks.  The importance of risk management  Retirement programs are designed to benefit participants and beneficiaries, but they come with their own set of risks. These risks can be broadly categorized into four main topics:  Fees  Administration  Investments  Cybersecurity  Each of these topics requires meticulous attention and ...
Read more

Innovative employee retention strategies: 9 fresh ideas

Employee engagement and retention are pivotal in every sector, but they carry even more weight in the not-for-profit space, where resources are often limited. High turnover can be both costly and disruptive, impacting productivity and damaging morale. In an era of workforce evolution, to effectively retain their top talent, organizations must explore innovative employee retention strategies that go beyond conventional methods.  Engaged employees are distinguished by their higher productivity, motivation and loyalty, and they are more likely to stay with a company for the long term. Gallup recently updated its research article, The Benefits of Employee Engagement , finding that "low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams."  In addition to turnover, disengaged employees negatively impact a company's financial health, with turnover costs averaging six to nine months of the departed employee's salary, accordin...
Read more