Category: Weekly Market Commentary
Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Moderating Inflation, Ebbing Political Uncertainty Among Reasons for Hope in the Face of a Tough Market
The Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index increased 0.6% in May, after rising only 0.2% in April. PCE inflation is an alternative inflation measure to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is released earlier. The two measures both show inflation to be very high, but the CPI in …
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: S&P 500 Rallies 6.5%, Lifting Market Above Bear Level
The S&P 500 spent only a short time below the 20%-decline threshold, before jumping back above it last week. U.S. large-cap stocks rallied 6.5% based on optimism that inflationary pressures are starting to respond to higher interest rates.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Fed Raises Rates by 0.75%, Market Moves Into Bear Territory
The S&P 500 dropped 5.7% last week and is now 22.3% off its peak. This decline pushed the index of large-cap U.S. stocks into a bear market, which is defined as a 20% or greater drop from its peak. Volatility remained elevated, and the S&P 500 has now moved by 1% or more 60 times …
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Market Commentary
Special Market Commentary: S&P 500 Slips Into a Bear Market. Now What?
Fueled by inflation readings that have remained stubbornly elevated, the stock market, measured as the S&P 500 Index, entered bear market territory at market close on June 13, 2022. A bear market represents a decline in equity values by more than 20%.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Inflation Pressures Remain High, S&P Dips Again
The S&P 500 dropped 5.1% last week as investors digested new inflation data released on Friday. May’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed a reacceleration of inflation after a brief reprieve in April. Headline CPI increased 8.6%, which is the fastest pace since December 1981. The p …
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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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