Sept,Q3,YTD S&P 500, Asset Class & Sector Performance

Even with the sluggish end to the quarter the market was still able to post solid gains both for the month of September and the entire quarter.  The breadth of the rally impressed me.  Starting in August we started to see asset classes, such as small caps, take a leadership position.  This is noteable because we have been in a two year narrow rally concentrated in large caps.

The most impressive move in the quarter was found in "Gold & Precious Metals".  At AFL we were prepared for this.  In fact, on July 26th I sent a note to newsletter subscribers making them aware of the fact that I was making a change in my models.  That change was the addition of the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX).  We ended up locking in a 27.25% gain on GDX yesterday.  To find out what other changes we made recently and positions we own in the AFL models then please become a newsletter subscriber.  Subscribers to the AFL newsletter receive direct access to invest in all of our models in self-directed accounts at Folio Investing.

As of the close on 9-28-12	Sept	Q3	YTD
S&P 500 Index Total Return	2.58%	6.35%	16.44%
Asset Class Category Average Performance
Large Cap Value	2.49%	5.98%	13.46%
Mid Cap Value	2.21%	5.55%	12.75%
Small Cap Value	2.74%	4.97%	11.93%
Foreign Large Cap Value	3.02%	6.76%	9.22%
Foreign Small/Mid Cap Value	4.48%	8.05%	13.41%
Large Cap Growth	2.30%	6.14%	15.99%
Mid Cap Growth	1.87%	4.64%	16.44%
Small Cap Growth	2.82%	5.14%	13.31%
Foreign Large Cap Growth	3.41%	6.67%	11.89%
Diversified Emerging Markets	4.96%	6.77%	11.37%
Gold & Precious Metals	12.84%	22.84%	5.18%
Real Estate	-1.38%	0.60%	14.97%
Broad Basket Commodities	1.08%	9.89%	5.31%
Sector Category Average Performance
Technology	1.08%	4.65%	15.13%
Consumer Discretionary	2.66%	6.33%	20.41%
Financials	3.71%	6.78%	19.38%
Telecommunications	3.77%	9.88%	15.56%
Industrials	1.15%	2.97%	10.50%
Utilities	2.03%	2.80%	7.69%
Natural Resources	4.31%	9.37%	4.48%
Real Estate	-1.38%	0.60%	14.97%
Health Care	4.52%	6.71%	23.15%
Consumer Staples	1.37%	3.76%	14.10%
Energy	2.40%	8.39%	2.36%
Regions
Europe Stock	3.48%	8.11%	13.17%
China Region	2.93%	5.08%	5.54%
Japan Stock	1.33%	-0.99%	3.22%
Latin America	4.16%	5.05%	4.82%

 

Jon R. Orcutt, founder of Allocation For Life, is an asset allocation strategist and author of “Master the Markets with Mutual Funds: A Common Sense Guide To Investing Success”; Manager/Creator of the AFL Model Portfolios available for members of Allocation For Life in self-directed accounts at Folio Investing

http://www.allocationforlife.com/