Wall Street had a disappointing start to 2024 as the nine-week winning streak snapped, erasing some of the strong gains seen at the end of 2023. Overstretched valuations and uncertainty around when the Fed will begin to cut rates have dampened investors’ optimism. The decline was broad-based, with small-cap stocks plunging the most. The Russell 2000 Index declined 3.7% in the initial week of 2024. The trend might reverse, given what is called the “January Effect," which refers to a seasonal increase in stoc ...