Category: Weekly Market Commentary
Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Positive Jobs Report Raises Hopes, but Stocks and Bonds Dip
The S&P 500 dropped 1.2% last week as a strong employment report was a little “too good” and raised concerns of more interest rate hikes in the future. The U.S. economy added 390,000 jobs in May, based on the establishment survey. Job growth is slowing, but it remains well above the lev …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: S&P Soars After 7 Straight Losses, but Inflation Remains Stubborn
The S&P 500 ended its string of seven negative weeks by rallying 6.6% last week. The surge in stock prices gave the index some margin between its current price and the 20% decline the index flirted with just two weeks ago. After the rally, the S&P 500, including dividends, is down 1 …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: S&P Decline Continues While Consumer Demand Keeps Climbing
The S&P 500 continued its string of negative weeks, dropping 3% last week. It was the seventh straight weekly decline in the index of large-cap stocks. The S&P 500 temporarily fell more than 20% on Friday, but the market rallied and the index finished down 18.1% from its January all …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: S&P 500 Decline Continues, But Inflation Shows Signs of Leveling Off
Market volatility continues to make life challenging for investors. The S&P 500 declined for the sixth straight week, the longest streak since 2011. Six-week losing streaks used to be much more common. The S&P 500 declined at least six consecutive weeks six different times from 2000 to 2011.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: U.S. and U.K. Central Banks Offer Contradictory Outlooks, Making for a Rollercoaster Market Week
Market volatility surged last week, although the end result for the S&P 500 was a decline of only 0.2%. Central banks were the main culprits for the volatility. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced it would raise rates 0.5% and clarified plans on how it will shrink its balance sh …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Despite Disappointing GDP, Underlying Strength Keeps U.S. Economy on Solid Footing
Market volatility continued last week as global markets tried to digest a slew of earnings reports and economic updates. Likely the biggest release was the U.S. GDP report for the first quarter, which showed the U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 1.4% over the first three months of th …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: As Fed Mulls Bigger Rate Hike, 2022 Bond Market Trending to be Most Volatile in Decades
Markets reflected the jittery disposition of investors. The rapid move in interest rates and persistent inflation have unnerved some investors and contributed to higher volatility. Volatility has risen in most asset classes, but bond investors have experienced the biggest swings. 2022 is ti …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Strong US Economy Helps Stave Off Signs of Recession in the Near-Term
Inflation is starting to feel like a winter that just won’t give way to spring. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed 1.2% last month and has now risen 8.5% in the last year (Figure 1). Energy and food prices were the main culprits, contributing 80% of the overall increase. Food prices jum …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Fed Expected to Accelerate Pace of Rate Hikes, Reduce Balance Sheet
Corporate earnings comparisons are getting more difficult. Factset reports first quarter S&P 500 earnings are expected to rise 4.5%. Earnings growth will likely increase during the quarter as companies deliberately push earnings estimates lower so they can produce positive surprises. Wh …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: US Sees Robust Job Numbers; S&P 500 Closes Out Negative Quarter
The U.S. economy has continued to create jobs. The establishment report, which measures jobs at known entities, added 431,000 new jobs last month. Economists expected 478,000 new jobs. The previous two months were revised higher by nearly 100,000, making up for the slight miss. Unemployment …
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