Have you filed your 2020 taxes yet? We know it can be overwhelming doing your taxes in general and with 2020 being the year of the pandemic, there are even more questions surrounding this year’s tax season and Tax Day.

Major U.S. equity indices slid this week, as the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both fell ‐0.8% and the Dow dipped ‐0.5%. Small caps, which have outperformed this year, saw heavier profit taking with a ‐2.8% decline.

March Madness is here, and it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Although my team, the University of Arizona Wildcats, will be missing the tournament because of a self-imposed postseason ban, I’ll still be spending my free time in the next few weeks, glued to the games.

Global equities rallied on the week, led by small cap stocks and those in value and cyclically‐natured sectors. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Russell 2000 Index all set new records during the week.

March is the peak season for house listings, which means that you, as a buyer, might be thinking about what your next step is for your living situation. This big decision could likely impact your life for years to come. It may warrant the question, “Should I consult a financial advisor before buying a home?”

Equity markets were mixed with large company indices like the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials up for the week while small cap and growth companies declined.

Rapidly rising rates. Rising Treasury yields are weighing on the broader fixed income market. Yields have been climbing since August, but the pace really quickened in February. The 10‐year US Treasury yield rose 0.34% – the largest monthly gain since Nov. 2016 – to hit 1.40%, its highest level since Feb. 2020.

The rapid rise in bond yields is really making equity markets uneasy. As shown in the Market Snapshot table to the lower right, global equity markets were red for the final week of February, dropping around ‐2% to ‐5%.

Rising bond yields have begun to weigh on equities. Stock indices fell while bond yields continued to climb with the 10‐year U.S. Treasury yield closing the week at 1.34%, up from 1.2% last week and just 0.9% at the start of 2021.