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Macro Overview
U.S. equity markets continued their march higher in the fourth quarter with the S&P 500 Index gaining 6.64%. This brought the 2017 full year return to a robust 21.83%. Interest rates, as measured by the 10-yr U.S. Treasury bond, were basically unchanged in the quarter and over the course of the year, closing out at 2.41% having begun the year at 2.44%. With the introduction of new tax legislation that is expected to boost corporate earnings, a weaker U.S. dollar which tends to benefit multinational companies and relatively low interest rates, markets have experienced very little volatility. Overall, the general tone from equities and low volatility provided a firm tailwind for senior loans and high-yield bonds over the course of the year, with senior loans up 4.11% and high-yield bonds up 7.47%
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