Equities surged higher to start 2019. The S&P 500 Index gained 13.7% while the Russell 2000 Index was up 14.6%. Of note, this was the best quarter for the S&P 500 Index since 2009 and the best first quarter since 1998. Clearly, this advance represented a dramatic turn of events from Q4 2018, when stocks declined and the S&P 500 Index experienced its worst December since 1931.