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 …

Keeping Resolutions

January 18, 2022

  January 17th is deemed Quit Day, or Ditch New Years’ Resolution Day, because it is typically the day most people have already left behind their resolutions. People typically do this because it is hard to maintain their discipline. While the first two weeks of January have been tough in the financial markets as well, …

Fast Forward

January 10, 2022

  The equity markets struggled the first week of the new year after the minutes from the December Federal Reserve meeting, which were released this past Wednesday, indicated the Fed could potentially accelerate its actions to slow bond buying, raise short-term rates, and shrink its balance sheet. The news sent equities down for the week …

Setting the Stage

January 3, 2022

  The U.S. equity markets closed out the year with a positive week. The S&P 500 Index was higher for the week by +0.9%, the Dow was +1.1%, and the NASDAQ was +0.1%. All three major U.S. indices closed the year with solid double-digit gains. Two particular asset class winners this year were oil and …

Last Hand of 21

December 27, 2021

  It was a mostly optimistic holiday week, although COVID-19 was still a background factor. The S&P 500 Index was higher for the week by +2.3%, the Dow was +1.7%, and the NASDAQ was +3.2%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield increased to 1.492% at Thursday’s close versus 1.407% the previous week. The COVID omicron …

Fed Up

December 20, 2021

  The Federal Reserve meeting provided a roadmap for 2022 monetary policy which we think was favorably received by the markets, however, concern surrounding the omicron variant returned following increases in positive testing across several countries. The net effect had the S&P 500 Index lower for the week by -1.9%, the Dow was -1.7% and …