In response to easing lockdowns, the rally in U.S. stocks continued overnight, pushing the S&P 500 into the green for the year.

A jump to a 15-week high on Monday extended the benchmark’s surge from its March low to almost 45%. The tech-driven Nasdaq 100 also rose to a record high.

The US dollar posted its longest slide in almost a decade, while Treasuries increased, and oil sank as Saudi Arabia said it wouldn’t continue its additional, deeper output curbs after June.

At the the time of writing, the S&P/ASX 200 is up 152 points or 2.53% so far today - in other words, despite the panic of late March, our local market is currently only down about 8.5% so far this calendar year. That said, it is important for investors to bear in mind that conditions are still extremely volatile with a number of economic headwinds/risks in front of us.

Rick Maggi, CFP