Equities continued to rise in April

Article Excerpt

Equity markets in the developed world, especially North America, continued their upward climb in April while developing markets, especially India, struggled. REITs had another strong month, while selected commodities and miners also gained ground. At the broad market level, the Vanguard Total World Stocks ETF (VT) gained 4.3% for the month. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) gained 5.7%, and the iShares MSCI Canada Equity ETF (EWC) rose 5.0%. The iShares Core EAFE ETF (IEFA), which excludes the U.S. and Canada, gained 2.6%. The iShares Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) lagged developed markets with a 2.2% gain, as emerging markets were seen by investors to have a slower path to a post-pandemic recovery. India was hit particularly hard with the iShares India ETF (XID) down by 3.5% in the month as the country struggles to manage another Covid-19 wave. Bond prices in the U.S. and Canada fell sharply earlier in the year as inflation concerns started to weigh on investors’ minds…