The U.S. equity markets showed positive returns on Wednesday, January 2nd 2013 as reflected by the Russell U.S. Indexes, the day after U.S. Congress passed a resolution to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff." The Russell 1000® Index of large-cap U.S. stocks reflected a daily return of 2.5%, led by the Technology (3.1%), Financial Services (2.8%) and Consumer Staples (2.7%) sectors. And the Russell 2000® Index of small-cap U.S. stocks reflected a daily return of 2.8%, led by the Materials & Processing (3.6%), Technology (3.5%) and Consumer Staples (3.0%) sectors. In addition, the Russell 2000 Index reached an all-time high on Wednesday in total and price index value.*
Other world equity markets also performed strongly Wednesday, with positive returns for the Russell Eurozone Index, Russell Greater China Index and Russell Emerging Markets Index. This follows positive returns for these indexes in 2012.
"By forging a last minute deal to mitigate much of the immediate impact of the fiscal cliff, the White House, Senate, and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives addressed the first (but by no means only) policy challenge in 2013 - and the short-term reaction has been a rally in global risk assets as shown by equity index returns to begin the year," said Stephen Wood, Chief Market Strategist for Russell Investments. "An 'all clear sign' is premature as unresolved fiscal issues in the U.S. as well as Europe will keep uncertainty alive in the coming months. As a consequence, we expect to see ongoing volatility and a 'risk-on/risk-off' investment environment globally, which may increase the need for a dynamic, multi-asset portfolio approach."
2012 Year-to-Date & 4th Quarter Performance — Russell Global Indexes
| Index/Sector | 2012 | January 2, 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Russell 1000 Index | 16.4% | 2.5% |
| Russell 1000 Technology Sector | 12.5% | 3.1% |
| Russell 1000 Financial Services Sector | 27.2% | 2.8% |
| Russell 1000 Consumer Staples Sector | 10.0% | 2.7% |
| Russell 1000 Materials & Processing Sector | 17.7% | 2.6% |
| Russell 1000 Producer Durables Sector | 16.3% | 2.5% |
| Russell 1000 Utilities Sector | 7.8% | 2.4% |
| Russell 1000 Consumer Discretionary Sector | 25.3% | 2.3% |
| Russell 1000 Energy Sector | 4.1% | 2.3% |
| Russell 1000 Healthcare Sector | 19.5% | 2.0% |
| Russell 2000 Index | 16.4% | 2.8% |
| Russell 2000 Materials & Processing Sector | 26.4% | 3.6% |
| Russell 2000 Technology Sector | 9.3% | 3.5% |
| Russell 2000 Consumer Staples Sector | 10.9% | 3.0% |
| Russell 2000 Energy Sector | -3.9% | 2.9% |
| Russell 2000 Financial Services Sector | 21.3% | 2.8% |
| Russell 2000 Healthcare Sector | 17.3% | 2.8% |
| Russell 2000 Producer Durables Sector | 15.9% | 2.8% |
| Russell 2000 Utilities Sector | 5.8% | 2.4% |
| Russell 2000 Consumer Discretionary Sector | 23.3% | 2.0% |
| Russell Eurozone Index | 20.8% | 2.9% |
| Russell Greater China Index | 21.2% | 2.3% |
| Russell Emerging Markets Index | 19.1% | 2.0% |
