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Monthly Portfolio Update September 2025

September flipped the script on its usual reputation as a tough month for stocks. North American markets finished strong, capping a solid third quarter and extending impressive streaks of gains. The Toronto Stock Exchange Composite Index surged 5.1%, while the S&P 500 climbed 3.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 5.6%. Record highs were the theme of the month: the Nasdaq and S&P hit multiple peaks, delivering their best September since 2010 and strongest third quarter since 2020, while the Dow notched its fifth straight monthly gain. Up north, the TSX also marked its fifth consecutive monthly advance.

Let’s take a quick look at what moved the markets and how my three portfolios performed in September…

Weekly Update for the week ending September 12, 2025

How Jobs and Prices Drive Rate Cuts
Recently the US labour market has been flashing signs of weakness, and this week’s revisions pushed job numbers even lower. That matters because the strength of the labour market often sets the tone for the economy – more jobs usually mean more spending, while slower job growth suggests things may be cooling. Against that backdrop, attention this past week turned to two key inflation reports: the Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Weekly Update for the week ending September 6, 2024

September has a long-standing reputation for being one of the worst and most turbulent months for the markets, often marked by increased volatility. This phenomenon is often referred to as the “September Effect.” This year appears to be no exception as investors try to gauge the Federal Reserve’s next moves based on the latest economic data. Historically, it has been the worst-performing month for the indexes. In fact, from 1950 to 2023, the S&P 500 (S&P) averaged a decline of about 0.5% in September, making it one of the few months where the index consistently posts negative returns.

Weekly Update for the week ending August 2, 2024

This past week, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) announced that it would keep the benchmark interest rate at 5.5%, a move that was widely expected. However, the Fed also hinted at the possibility of a rate cut in September, as inflation cools and the labour market shows signs of slowing. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unanimously agreed to maintain the federal funds rate in the 5.25% to 5.5% range, where it has been for the past year.

Weekly Update for the week ending February 23, 2024

Nvidia (NASD: NVDA) had itself quite the week. Following an impressive earnings presentation, Nvidia not only surpassed revenue and net income forecasts but also offered future earnings guidance that exceeded analyst predictions. Consequently, Nvidia’s stock surged by 17% in just two days, reaching a new all-time high and increasing its market value by about $277 billion. This was the largest single-session market value gain in history. At one point, Nvidia’s valuation briefly exceeded $2 trillion, before settling just under the $2 trillion mark. This made it the third largest company by market capitalization, surpassing giants like Alphabet (NASD: GOOGL) and Amazon (NASD: AMZN).