Weekly Market Review – July 25, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks declined modestly last week, while long-term bond yields retreated near record lows. The S&P 500 turned briefly positive for 2020 before pulling back on concerns over escalating Chinese/American tensions. On the economic front, U.S. initial jobless claims increased last week for the first time since March, raising worries that the economic recovery […]
Weekly Market Review – July 18, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks finished higher for the third consecutive week on coronavirus-vaccine optimism and positive economic data. U.S. retail sales jumped 7.5% in June, and industrial production increased the most since 1959, both surprising to the upside. Following a two-month rebound, retail sales are almost back to their pre-virus levels, largely helped by the direct […]
Weekly Market Review – July 11, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks finished modestly higher last week, led by technology and long-term growth stocks. The nonmanufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, a measure of business conditions, posted its biggest monthly gain and moved back into expansion, adding to the string of positive economic surprises. However, as new COVID-19 cases rise and several states slow down or […]
Weekly Market Review – July 4, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks finished the week higher, capping the shortened July 4th holiday week. The second quarter also saw the Dow Jones having its best quarter on record since 1987, closing up 17.8%. Favorable jobs data came in as confirmed cases of coronavirus reach record highs and some states begin to suspend or reverse reopening […]
Weekly Market Review – June 27, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks continued to seesaw in June, with one week’s gains being reversed the following week. Last week’s decline was caused by a renewed surge in coronavirus cases across the Southwest. Texas and Florida reported a record number of new cases, which led to some rollback of reopening measures. Adding to the anxiety was […]
Weekly Market Review – June 20, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks rebounded last week on better-than-expected economic data and hopes for fresh stimulus. U.S. retail sales jumped nearly 18% in May, the biggest monthly increase on record, signaling that the economy is improving from depressed levels. That news, coupled with news that the White House may be working on a $1 trillion infrastructure […]
Weekly Market Review – June 13, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks logged their worst weekly decline since March as fears of a second wave of infections and doubts about a speedy economic recovery dampened investor sentiment. The Federal Reserve indicated that rates are likely to remain near zero until 2022 and issued a cautious economic outlook. The Fed’s cautious tone, in combination with […]
Weekly Market Review – June 6, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks climbed higher for the third week in a row, oil jumped, and Treasury yields rose to an 11-week high following a surprising gain in payrolls last month. The U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, while the unemployment rate declined to 13.3% from April’s record level, suggesting that an economic recovery […]
Weekly Market Review – May 30, 2020
Stock Markets Stocks ended the week higher, with the month of May marking the start of the gradual reopening of the domestic and global economy. A steady but slow decline in new infections has allowed the partial lifting of restrictions, boosting investor confidence. The more cyclical sectors, like financials and industrials, outperformed last week, while […]
Weekly Market Review – May 23, 2020
Stock Markets Global stocks finished higher on optimism over the reopening of the economies and some positive news about progress on vaccine trials. Later in the week some caution returned that raised geopolitical tensions, as China planned to impose a new security law on Hong Kong and as a U.S. Senate bill was introduced that […]