First Hike

March 21, 2022

  Fear may have peaked last week, and investor risk appetite may have been reinvigorated, as the Federal Reserve laid out a clear tightening plan tied to combating high inflation and optimism about the economy. The S&P 500 Index ended the week +6.2%, the Dow was +5.5%, and the NASDAQ was +8.4%. It was the …

NovaPoint Capital Ranks No. 42 on Inc. Magazine’s List of the Southeast Region’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

March 15, 2022

  Inc. magazine today revealed that NovaPoint Capital is No. 42 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents …

Pump Pain

March 14, 2022

  Geopolitical events continued to dominate headlines last week along with the economic realities of gasoline averaging over $4.00/gallon nationwide for the first time in history. The S&P 500 Index ended the week -2.8%, the Dow was -1.9%, and the NASDAQ was -3.9%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield increased to 1.997% at Friday’s close …

Advances and Declines

March 7, 2022

  Russia’s continued advance into Ukraine caused a market decline for the week, despite a strong employment report for February and comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell that he supports a 0.25% increase in the Fed funds rate this month rather than 0.50%. The S&P 500 Index ended the week -1.2%, the Dow was -1.2%, …

Spoils of War

February 28, 2022

  Downward market pressure early in the week reversed once the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Markets began climbing the Wall of Worry we mentioned last week. The situation in Ukraine may continue to dominate headlines this week, but the U.S. economy comes back centerstage with the February Employment Report on Friday. President Biden is …

Wall of Worry

February 21, 2022

  Concern over tensions between Russia-Ukraine, and impact of inflation and Fed actions in the U.S. have built a wall of worry year-to-date that the equity markets have yet to be able to climb. The S&P 500 Index ended the week -1.5%, the Dow was -1.8%, and the NASDAQ was -1.7%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury …

Where is the Love?

February 14, 2022

  Geopolitical tension over Russia-Ukraine knocked back the equity markets on Friday afternoon. This brought a two-week win streak to an end for the major averages. The S&P 500 Index ended the week – 1.8%, the Dow was -1.0%, and the NASDAQ was -3.0%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield increased to 1.918% at Friday’s …

Job Growth Surprises

February 7, 2022

  The reaction to multiple earnings reports this past week was a rollercoaster. Overall, the markets posted positive back-to-back weeks due to more upside than downside earnings reports and a better-than-expected January employment report. The S&P 500 Index ended the week +1.6%, the Dow was +1.1%, and the NASDAQ was +1.7%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury …

Earnings Buoy Markets

January 31, 2022

  Buoyed by several strong corporate earnings reports, the major U.S. equity indices all closed the week higher for the first time this year. The S&P 500 Index ended the week +0.8%, the Dow was +1.3%, and the NASDAQ was +0.1%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield increased to 1.778% at Friday’s close versus 1.771% …

Still Struggling

January 24, 2022

  The early year market retreat extended to a third week. The S&P 500 Index ended the week -3.9%, the Dow was -3.3%, and the NASDAQ was -4.9%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield decreased to 1.771% at Friday’s close versus 1.793% the previous week. Some of the downturn can be attributed to the high …