BMO Segregated Funds Monthly Update - March 21st, 2022 - Spring is here!

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Hello,

Please find in this March edition of the BMO Segregated Funds Monthly update:

• Review of This Week in the Markets from BMO GAM
• BMO GIF Performance Summary – February 28^th, 2022
• Check out the March 2022 BMO ETF Portfolio Commentary – Steven Shepherd, CFA Portfolio Manager (attached)
• BMO GIF Case Study – Estate Preservation and wealth transfer – why take the risk?

Please find the latest version of This Week in the Markets

• The S&P 500 Index soared 6.2%. Investors reacted positively to bullish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell concerning the US economy during the March FOMC Meeting, piling into risk assets as the Fed delivered a 25 bps rate hike. Technology stocks rallied sharply, with the tech-centric Nasdaq Composite Index closing 8.2% higher. Energy was the only sector negative as oil prices slipped.
• The S&P/TSX Index rose 1.7%, trailing its global peers but reaching an all-time high. High beta sectors like Technology and Health Care were among the top performers, while a sizable upward shift in the yield curve also helped boost bank stocks. The Energy and Materials stocks led losses as oil prices and gold prices retreated, respectively.
• Global equities were strong, as Europe’s STOXX 600 Index added 5.4%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 6.6%, while China’s CSI 300 Index fell 0.8%, a somewhat modest net movement that masked extreme levels of volatility (more in attachment)