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Driving Change

Understanding market trends can help you make more informed financial decisions With Labor Day behind us, the end of summer vacation time has officially arrived. Children have gone back to school and routines are shifting back to work mode, with the autumnal equinox just around the corner. As we make this transition, you may have noticed that fewer young people are getting their driving licenses—a shift that is influencing their spending and lifestyle preferences. The increasing ...

Weekly Market Update – 9.3.2024

The S&P 500 posted gains for the third consecutive week, helped by positive GDP revisions and tamed inflation(PCE). Nvidia(NVDA) beat earnings estimates but experienced margin contraction partly due to production issues with its next-generation Blackwell chips. Thursday, NVDA shares declined 6.4%, highlighting that high expectations for future profits leave little margin for error. Today, ISM’s purchasing manager’s index(PMI) for August came in ...

Weekly Market Update – 8.26.2024

Last week, Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech marked a definitive turning point toward less restrictive monetary policy. Fed futures show a cumulative rate cut of 1% by their December meeting. Investors should consider locking in higher yields for the longer term, anticipating lower rates. The S&P 500 gained 1.47% on the week, with a two-week cumulative return of 5.46%. Inflation data from Personal Consumption Expenditures(PCE) and Nvidia ...

Weekly Market Update – 8.19.2024

Last week, investors embraced positive economic data. July’s CPI was 2.9% compared to one year ago. Following the upbeat CPI report, the probability of the Fed cutting rates at their September meeting remained 100%. Strong retail sales and lower initial Jobless claims comforted investors after the disappointing jobs reported two weeks ago. Stocks posted their best week of the year, with the S&P 500 gaining 3.99%. The real estate sector ...

Market Jitters: Recession On or Off?

Recent market fluctuations have investors on edge, with many wondering if a recession is looming. While headlines may scream doom and gloom one day and optimism the next, it’s crucial to remember that economic speculation should not dictate your financial strategy. Market volatility is a natural part of the economic cycle. Whether a recession is imminent or not, your long-term financial goals remain the same. A well-diversified portfolio and a solid financial strategy are designed to ...

Weekly Market Update – 8.12.2024

Last week, some investors and funds exposed their risk associated with leverage and currencies via carry trades. Some carry trade investors realized large losses, while most long-term prudent investors felt acute pain on Monday. Monday’s market volatility, measured by VIX, was the highest it had been seen since 2008. Fear of the systemic ripples from unwinding the carry trades contributed to Monday’s spike in the VIX premarket. The S&P 500 declined by only .02% for the ...

Weekly Market Update – 8.5.2024

Stocks finished last week in the red, with the S&P 500 declining 2.05%. The Fed held rates steady as expected and signaled that rate cuts are in the cards at their September meeting. With the recent market volatility, lower-than-expected hiring for June, and the unemployment rate at 4.3%, the probability of a 0.50% rate cut at their September meeting currently stands at 84%. June’s job numbers disappointed expectations, but hiring has reached average pre-pandemic levels, and the ...

Weekly Market Update – 7.29.2024

Unify Financial Advisors Market Week Update Last week’s economic reports painted a strong economy with tamed inflationary pressures. The second-quarter GDP grew at 2.8%, compared to 1.9% expected. An increase in business inventories and auto sales primarily drove the upside surprise. The personal consumption expenditures price index (PCE), a measure of inflation preferred by the Federal Reserve, shows that PCE inflation fell to 2.5% year-over-year in June. ...

Weekly Market Update – 7.22.2024

Stocks started in rally mode last week, with the S&P 500 and Dow setting record highs. However, the S&P 500 and tech stocks retreated on concerns about future tariffs and export restrictions to China. Money rotated out of the Magnificent 7 into small-cap and defensive stocks. CrowdStrike, a large cybersecurity company, applied a software update Friday morning while most of us slept. The update caused outages for Microsoft Windows users, wreaking havoc on large airlines, ...

Weekly Market Update – 7.15.2024

Unify Financial Advisors Weekly Market Update Last week, following the lower-than-expected June CPI release, yields dropped across the curve, driving bond prices up 0.82%. Bond prices and yields have an inverse relationship; as prices rise, yields fall. Second quarter corporate earnings came in mixed. PepsiCo and JP Morgan rallied into Friday’s close, while Delta and Wells Fargo declined. Banks’ net interest income is under pressure as customers demand higher ...

Driving Change

Weekly Market Update – 9.3.2024

Weekly Market Update – 8.26.2024

Weekly Market Update – 8.19.2024

Market Jitters: Recession On or Off?

Weekly Market Update – 8.12.2024

Weekly Market Update – 8.5.2024

Weekly Market Update – 7.29.2024

Weekly Market Update – 7.22.2024

Weekly Market Update – 7.15.2024

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