Quick Recap of the Week Following the recent pullback, stocks had a strong rally last week. The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq all gained nearly 3.5%. Economic Data The MBA Mortgage index and Philly Fed survey came in above their forecasts. However, industrial production, housing starts and the Empire Manufacturing index were worse-than-expected. TSP Funds The [...]

Quick Recap of the Week The stock market had its worst week since August.  Fear of an interest rate hike in December was the main cause, along with falling commodity prices. Economic Data Consumer sentiment was better-than-expected. However, retail sales and initial jobless claims came in below their forecasts. TSP Funds The S Fund had [...]

Quick Recap of the Week It was a choppy week for the stock market. In the U.S., stocks moved up, but a rising U.S. dollar hurt international markets. Economic data was mostly positive. The monthly employment numbers were better-than-expected. So was construction spending and the ISM non-manufacturing index. The ISM manufacturing index came in below expectations, [...]

Quick Recap of the Week Stocks rose slightly last week. Once again, the major indexes (S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq) performed better than small-cap stocks. As for economic data, both the Chicago purchasing managers index and inital jobless claims were better-than-expected. On the negative side, consumer confidence, consumer sentiment and the gross domestic product were below expectations. [...]

Quick Recap of the Week After struggling early in the week, stocks rallied on Thursday and Friday. Gains were limited for small-cap stocks, but larger stocks performed well. Economic Data Initial jobless claims and home sales were better-than-expected. So was the manufacturing purchasing index. TSP Funds The C Fund had week's largest gain of 2.09%. [...]

Quick Recap of the Week The stock market had mixed results last week. Most sectors moved up, but small cap stocks fell moderately. Economic Data Consumer confidence and initial jobless were better-than-expected. Retail sales came in below their forecast, as did the New York and Philadelphia manufacturing indexes. TSP Funds The C Fund had week's [...]

Quick Recap of the Week Stocks rose last week. Several indexes, including the S&P 500, ended the week near their September highs. As for economic data, initial jobless claims and housing data were better-than-expected. On the negative side, the ISM services index was below its forecast while the U.S. trade deficit widened. The I Fund [...]

Quick Recap of the Week After falling on Monday and Tuesday, stocks recovered. Most indexes ended the week with a gain. As for economic data, home prices and consumer spending rose. However, data for new jobs, pending home sales, factory orders and manufacturing were worse-than-expected. The I Fund was the best performer with a 1.20% [...]

Quick Recap of the Week Stocks fell again last week. Losses were modest for larger "blue chip" stocks. However, small-cap and technology stocks had much larger losses. Biotech stocks were hit the hardest, as the sector dropped almost 16%. As usual, economic data was mixed, but most of it was negative. Consumer confidence and several [...]

Quick Recap of the Week The markets Stocks had mixed results last week. As expected, everything revolved around the Federal Reserve's meeting. After dropping modestly on Monday, stocks moved up before the meeting. However, it was a classic "buy the rumor, sell the news" event. The Fed left rates unchanged. After some volatile trading, most [...]