Tip of the Taper

June 7, 2021

  The weaker than forecast employment report rallied stocks and bonds on Friday on the expectation it would keep the Fed on hold. This was despite the Fed’s announcement it would begin selling the excess corporate bonds and ETFs it purchased during the pandemic to stabilize markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week …

Mix and Mingle

June 1, 2021

  Investors appear to be absorbing the inflation story well as the equity markets all posted positive returns for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week +1.0%, the S&P 500 Index was +1.2%, and the NASDAQ 100 Index was +2.0%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield decreased to 1.593% at Friday’s close …

Hitting the Road

May 24, 2021

  It was a mixed week in the equity market with the NASDAQ 100 Index in the green and the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average in the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week –0.4%, the S&P 500 Index was –0.4%, and the NASDAQ 100 Index was +0.2%. The U.S. …

Are You Ready for the Summer?

May 3, 2021

  The quarterly earnings reporting season is past the half-way point. Of the 303 companies in the S&P 500 Index that have reported earnings to date for Q1, 87.1% have reported earnings above analyst estimates. This compares to a long-term average of 65.3% and prior four quarter average of 75.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average …

Over the Hump

April 26, 2021

  Despite generally positive corporate earnings reports, the equity markets were flattish last week on concerns surrounding proposals from the White House for higher capital gains taxes. Of the 123 companies in the S&P 500 Index that have reported earnings to date for Q1, 85.4% have reported earnings above analyst estimates. This compares to a …

Crude Math

April 19, 2021

  The equity markets responded positively to the first week of first quarter earnings. Of the 44 companies in the S&P 500 Index that have reported earnings to date for the first quarter, 84.1% have reported earnings above analyst estimates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week +1.2%, the S&P 500 Index was +1.4% …

Earnings on Tap

April 12, 2021

  Over 20% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The economy has been looking up and the Federal Reserve is being patient with interest rates. Fed Chair Jerome Powell also expressed a positive view of the economy in an interview that was aired on Sunday, but also said it is highly …

Navigating the Waters

March 29, 2021

  We head into the end of the first quarter with all three major U.S. equity indices positive for the year. We are fortunate to be in a better economic and social environment versus this time last year when the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was driving equity markets lower and forcing people into …

Fed Speak

March 22, 2021

  The Federal Reserve acknowledged some improvement in the economy in its Wednesday Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting statement, while stating that inflation remains below target. The economic improvement versus inflation battle continues in the fixed income and equity markets. This past week “Team Inflation” won as the equity markets declined and bond yields …

Springing Forward

March 15, 2021

  Springing Forward! The equity markets moved to the upside last week. Investors seem to be a little more comfortable with bond yields. Two inflation measures for February, the CPI and PPI, showed an increase in inflation mainly tied to increasing energy prices. The February CPI showed 12-month rate of inflation for consumer goods and …