The U.S. stock markets experienced considerable volatility as inflation remained a concern for investors. In July 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve enacted its second consecutive 75 basis point interest rate increase, following a similar increase in the previous month.

These factors, when combined with an inverted yield curve, early signs of a softening labour market and a second consecutive quarterly decline in GDP, have exacerbated investors' concerns of a looming recession.

While the market has gained some ground from the lows of summer, as of September 1, 2022, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 12.9% year-to-date for 2022, the S&P 500 was lower by 16.8% and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 24.7%. Over the same period, the CBOE Volatility Index was up over 30.2%.

2Q22 continued to be a challenging time for the U.S. stock market as inflation remained a top concern for investors. This, combined with early signs of a softening labor market, and a second consecutive quarterly decline in GDP, have exacerbated investors' concerns about a looming recession.

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