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Marketwatch: The best and worst stocks of 2018
MarketwatchOne very important theme for investors during 2018 has been the return to volatility, as investors worry about Federal Reserve tightening and President Trump’s trade dispute with China.
The market always looks ahead, and another important focus for investors is the massive cut in the maximum federal income-tax rate for corporations that was passed in December 2017 that has boosted corporate earnings tremendously this year. Investors won’t enjoy similar year-over-year comparisons when first-quarter 2019 results are reported.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.85% has fallen 6.7% this year through Friday, but it is down 14.4% from the intraday high it hit on Oct. 3. Illustrating the volatility, the best performer of the year among the S&P 500 SPX, +0.59% has been Advanced Micro Devices AMD, +2.89% which is up 73% for the year, but which has also fallen 42% during the fourth quarter.
This has been the worst year for the Dow since 2008, and the first decline for the benchmark index since 2015, when it was down 2.2%.
The market always looks ahead, and another important focus for investors is the massive cut in the maximum federal income-tax rate for corporations that was passed in December 2017 that has boosted corporate earnings tremendously this year. Investors won’t enjoy similar year-over-year comparisons when first-quarter 2019 results are reported.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.85% has fallen 6.7% this year through Friday, but it is down 14.4% from the intraday high it hit on Oct. 3. Illustrating the volatility, the best performer of the year among the S&P 500 SPX, +0.59% has been Advanced Micro Devices AMD, +2.89% which is up 73% for the year, but which has also fallen 42% during the fourth quarter.
This has been the worst year for the Dow since 2008, and the first decline for the benchmark index since 2015, when it was down 2.2%.