In the first quarter of the year, U.S. equity markets were off to a robust start, marking the eighth time that the S&P 500 Index has posted consecutive double-digit quarterly gains since World War II. Strong corporate earnings and advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital transformation, helped propel stocks higher. Additionally, the S&P 500® Index rose 10.56% during the first three months of the year for its best first-quarter performance since 2019. We believe monetary policy and corporate earnings growth are poised to remain pivotal forces in shaping equity market performance in 2024. We share how we believe each of these dynamics will play a role in determining whether equity markets can achieve positive returns in the months ahead.