Stock performance clobbered home prices in 2023, the year after the reverse was true. My trusty spreadsheet looked at a half-century of stock-trading patterns ( ) and home-price swings ( ) to determine how these two assets vary in price fluctuations. Consider that the Wilshire was up 25% in 2023. Only 12 years have fared better since 1974. Why the pop? Stock investors spent much of 2023 worried about a recession. It was only late in the year that trader sentiment turned toward an economic “soft landing” – motivation to bid up share prices anticipating a less-than-horrific 2024. By the way, a similar “no deep recession” mentality…
