Stocktober

The next few weeks should give investors a lot to digest. The third quarter earnings season is in full swing, there is a hotly contested election in 22 days, and the next monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve is two days after the election. For last week, optimism won out and U.S. equity markets […]

Start of the Cycle

Stocks advanced as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 0.50%. For the week, the S&P 500 was +1.4%, the Dow was +1.7%, and the NASDAQ was +1.4%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Energy, Communication Services, and Financial sectors led the market. The Consumer Staples, Real Estate, and Health Care sectors lagged. The 10-year […]

Cut Day

Stocks rallied back last week in anticipation of an easing in monetary policy to be announced this week. For the week, the S&P 500 was +4.1%, the Dow was +2.6%, and the NASDAQ was +6.0%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Technology, Consumer Discretionary, and Communication Services sectors led the market. The Energy, Financial, and […]

The Time Has Come

The equity market finished higher on the week as Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the time has come for monetary policy to adjust. For the week, the S&P 500 was +1.5%, the Dow was +1.3%, and the NASDAQ was +1.1%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Real Estate, Materials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors led the […]

Rotation

The rotation away from large cap tech stocks and into small cap stocks continued last week. The S&P 500 Index was -1.9%, the Dow was +0.7%, and the NASDAQ was -4.0%. The Russell 2000 Index was +1.7% for the week. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Energy, Financial, and Real Estate sectors led, while the Technology, […]

Summer Solstice

Stocks posted gains during the holiday shortened week. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was +0.6%, the Dow was +1.5%, and the NASDAQ was +0.2%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Consumer Discretionary, Energy, and Financial sectors led, while the Utility, Real Estate, and Technology sectors lagged. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield increased […]

May Flowered

The S&P 500 Index rose 4.96% in May to recover the 4.08% decline from April. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.5%, the Dow was -0.9%, and the NASDAQ was -1.4%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Energy, Real Estate, and Utility sectors led, while the Technology, Industrial, and Health Care sectors lagged. […]

Leveling Off

Stocks leveled off last week after a multi-week advance. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was flat, the Dow was -2.3%, and the NASDAQ was +0.4%. Within the S&P 500 Index, the Technology and Communication Services sectors were the only two with a weekly advance. The Energy, Real Estate, and Financial sectors were the […]

Stubborn

Stubborn inflation data kept stocks muted last week. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.1%, the Dow was flat, and the NASDAQ was -1.2%. The best performing sectors in the S&P 500 Index were the Energy, Materials, and Consumer Staples sectors, while the Real Estate, Consumer Discretionary, and Technology sectors lagged. The 10-year […]

Sticky Prices

The S&P 500 Index had only its second weekly loss year-to-date but did stay above the 5,000 level. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.3%, the Dow was just a touch positive, and the NASDAQ was -1.5%. The S&P 500 Index was led by the Energy, Materials, and Utility sectors, while the Technology, […]