Recap of the Week It was another strong showing for the stock market. The performance varied greatly among different sectors, however. The Dow Jones barely moved, while the S&P 500 had a modest rally. The Nasdaq and Russell 2000 had the biggest advances. Most economic data was positive. A December interest rate hike looks very likely, [...]

Recap of the Week It was a wild week for the markets. With all eyes on the election, it was both turbulent and very profitable for some sectors. In particular, the Russell 2000 small-cap index gained over 10%, as did the financial sector. Most likely, these gains will be reversed a bit in the coming [...]

Recap of the Week The stock market lost ground again last week. The indices fell between 1.5% (Dow Jones) to 2.8% (Nasdaq). Most indicators say stocks are oversold and due for a bounce. Is the election--and any further uncertainty or chaos surrounding it--already "priced into" the markets? We should find out early next week. Weekly [...]

Recap of the Week Stocks continued their October slide last week. Small-cap stocks declined sharply. Larger, blue-chip shares held up much better. Weekly Economic Data Releases Better than expected: gross domestic product, jobless claims, new home sales and the purchasing managers index for services. Worse than expected: durable goods orders, consumer confidence and the MBA [...]

Recap of the Week The stock market traded in a tight range last week. The major indices had small gains with the exception of the Dow Jones. It was unchanged from the prior week. Economic Data Existing home sales, the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing report, industrial production and manufacturing production were better-than-expected. On the negative side, housing [...]

Recap of the Week Stocks fell for the second straight week. Large blue-chip companies held up better than riskier sectors (small-caps, tech stocks, etc.). As shown in our charts, the major indices are at key levels. From here, they could bounce up from double-bottom formations. Or they could drop farther and challenge their June lows. [...]

Recap of the Week Stocks fell last week. The major indices remained in their recent trading ranges, however. Economic Data The ISM non-manufacturing index came in better-than-expected. PMI manufacturing and the Bloomberg consumer comfort index were below their forecasts, though. Friday's jobs data releases were mixed. The most recent employment change was worse-than-expected. But last month's number was [...]

Recap of the Week Stocks moved up and down last week, but ended with very little change. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq had small gains while the Russell 2000 fell 0.2%. Economic Data Most economic data releases were positive. Jobless claims, new home sales, consumer confidence and the Chicago purchasing managers index were better-than-expected. Durable goods [...]

Recap of the Week The stock market moved up last week. The main driver was the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. The Fed chose to hold their interest rate steady. Stocks rallied after the decision, and moved up again on Thursday. The major indices ended the week with gains ranging from 0.8% (Dow Jones) to [...]

Recap of the Week Stocks moved up slightly last week. Speculation about next week's Federal Reserve meeting was the main driver. The odds of a September interest rate hike fell to 15% in the futures market. Traders believe poor economic data will keep the Fed from raising rates. Most stock indices rose slightly, with the exception [...]