Retirement Data: Fidelity Plan Balances Q2 2019

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Source: Fidelity

On August 21, 2019 Fidelity released its quarterly analysis of retirement savings trends, including account balances, contributions and savings behaviors, across more than 30 million retirement accounts. Average account balances continued to increase in the second quarter, reaching near-record levels after experiencing a dip at the end of 2018. Here are some findings from their press release:

August Market Update: Growth and Inflation Cycles Declining

The S&P 500 gained 1.31% in July. The S&P 500 starts the month less than one hundred points from an all-time high. The real action over the last few months has been in the bond market. U.S. ten-year treasury bonds have dropped from 2.503% on May 1 to 1.89% on August 1. Looking at one-year trailing returns iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, symbol IEF, has outperformed SPDR® S&P 500 ETF, symbol SPY, 11.90% to 7.07%. Let's examine price, sentiment and valuation as we start August.