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Weekly Market Update – 2.5.2024

Last week, the S&P 500 reached another all-time closing high, buoyed by positive corporate earnings and a strong Jobs Report. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) held rates steady as expected. Stocks declined on Wednesday after Jerome Powell’s press conference but rebounded Thursday. Impressive earnings from Amazon and Meta rallied the S&P 500 to a record close of 4959 on Friday, up 4.06% year-to-date. This week’s economic data is relatively light. The January ...
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Weekly Market Update – 12.18.2023

Last week’s economic data and news were positively received. A cooler Producer Price Index (PPI), a dovish pivot by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), and strong retail sales propelled stocks and bonds higher. The S&P 500 gained 2.53%, while bonds saw a 2.16% increase. November’s Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) was slightly higher at 0.3%, compared to 0.2% in October, excluding volatile food and energy prices. Shelter costs were the primary contributors to Core ...
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Weekly Market Update – 12.4.2023

Last week, bulls pushed the U.S. market near its 2023 peaks, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones 30 gaining 0.83% and 2.60%, respectively. Bonds also rallied as yields fell, with the U.S. Aggregate Bond Index gaining 2.04%. After five consecutive winning weeks, the broader U.S. market started Monday about 4% below all-time highs amid abundant hope for interest rate cuts by mid-2024. Attention is now turning to crucial jobs data this week. The October Job Openings and Labor Turnover ...
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Weekly Market Update – 11.27.2023

Last week, all major global stock indexes posted positive gains over four trading days, with the Dow Jones leading the way at 1.29 percent. Consumer sentiment rose to 61.3 but remains pessimistic. Minutes from the FOMC meeting in November supported the market’s expectations that the Federal Reserve is done raising rates. The Committee shifted to a cautious tone regarding rates, with all participants agreeing that they were in a position to proceed carefully. This week, new home sales ...
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Weekly Market Update – 11.06.2023

Last week, the markets rallied on the Department of the Treasury’s announcement that they will need to borrow less than previously estimated and Fed Chair Powell’s comments following their second straight pause on interest rates. The S&P 500 saw its best week in almost a year, gaining 5.88%. Bonds also rallied on the week, gaining 1.99%. Last week’s market action exemplified why long-term investors should stay invested. After almost three months of negative stock and bond ...
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Weekly Market Update – 10.30.2023

The U.S. economy grew at a 4.9% annual pace in the third quarter, much higher than expected and more than double that in the second quarter. Consumer spending helped the strong growth, a strong labor market, and solid consumer finances will continue to support consumer spending. At this week’s meeting, the Fed is expected to keep interest rates the same, as the recent surge in long-term bond yields is helping convince policymakers that there is less need for further hikes. While the ...
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Weekly Market Update – 10.02.2023

Here’s what happened in the markets last week. The Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) for August fell below 4% for the first time in two years. Stocks initially responded positively to Friday’s report but retreated amidst looming threats of a US Government shutdown over the weekend. However, an impending shutdown was averted as the US House and Senate passed a spending bill just hours before the scheduled shutdown at 12:01 AM on Sunday. Stocks (S&P500) and bonds(US ...
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Weekly Market Update – 9.18.2023

Here’s what happened in the markets last week: Core CPI was slightly higher than expected, coming in at 0.30% month-over-month. This increase was driven primarily by a 10.6% surge in gasoline prices. The three-month annualized core CPI now stands at 2.4%, progressing towards the Fed’s long-run inflation objective of 2%. U.S. consumers continued to spend, as evidenced by stronger-than-expected retail sales growth of 0.60% month-over-month compared to an expected 0.20%. However, ...
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