Weekly Update

The Weekly Update

Week of August 21st, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks extended their August declines last week as higher yields and weak economic data out of China soured investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.21%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 retreated 2.11%. The Nasdaq Composite index backtracked 2.59% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slumped 2.83%.

Stocks Wilt
Rising bond yields, driven primarily by strong economic data and the release of the minutes from July’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting that pointed toward Fed officials’ potential need to raise rates further, weighed on stocks throughout the week.

In a week of light trading typical of August, stocks were additionally buffeted by a string of economic data that painted a flailing economic recovery in China and warnings of potential downgrades of dozens of U.S. banks by Fitch, a credit-rating agency.

After the …

The Weekly Update

Week of August 8th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Positive inflation data failed to lift stocks from their August doldrums last week as economic data and a ratings downgrade soured investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.62%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.31%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 1.90% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, rose 0.50%.

Tech Weighs on Stocks
Stocks struggled last week, beginning on a strong note ahead of key inflation data and selling off mid-week in response to a downgrade of the banking sector by credit rating agency Moody’s and news of a steep drop in China’s exports. Emblematic of the week, stocks jumped to big gains following Thursday’s better-than-expected inflation report, only to evaporate as bond yields rose amid an auction of 30-year Treasury bonds.

Stocks have had difficulty sustaining traction with the loss …

The Weekly Update

Week of August 7th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks retreated last week as bond yields increased following the Treasury’s announcement indicating “a larger-than-expected funding need” and a downgrade in the federal government’s debt rating.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.11%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 shed 2.27%. The Nasdaq Composite index lost 2.85% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, tumbled 3.27%

Stocks Struggle
Stocks struggled as investor sentiment turned cautious amid rising bond yields. Markets were rattled initially by news that the Treasury raised its borrowing requirement for the third quarter by more than a quarter of a trillion dollars and on news that the Bank of Japan announced it would allow bond yields to rise after years of capping them.

Rising yields continued to pressure stocks in the wake of a surprise rating downgrade of U.S. government debt by …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 31st, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

A Friday surge pushed stocks solidly into positive territory last week, ignited by cooling in an inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.66%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 climbed 1.01%. The Nasdaq Composite index rose 2.02% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, gained 0.74%.

Stocks Pop
Stocks were flat for much of last week amid a batch of new earnings, a 0.25% interest rate hike, and strong economic data. After beginning with gains, stocks lost momentum following the Fed’s expected rate-hike announcement on Wednesday. A bounce on Thursday sparked by a positive mega-cap tech company earnings reversed after bond yields increased.

Stocks recovered strongly Friday on the release of the personal consumption expenditures price index, which fell to its lowest level in two years.

Much of …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 24th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks moved to the rhythm of earnings season last week, initially rising on positive earnings surprises and faltering later in the week on key earnings disappointments.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.08%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 0.69%. The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 0.57% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slipped 0.32%.

Earnings In Focus
Entering its first big week of the second quarter earnings season, solid reports from the nation’s big banks rewarded investor optimism, sparking a rally that continued into mid-week. An announcement by a mega-cap tech company of a new AI subscription plan, and stabilizing deposits at several regional banks, further fed investor enthusiasm.

Disappointing earnings from two big-tech names dragged market indices lower on Thursday, with the largest losses in the Nasdaq composite. Despite the reversal, 20 …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 17th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Better-than-expected updates last week on consumer and wholesale price inflation buoyed investor sentiment, driving stocks higher and lower bond yields.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.29%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 increased 2.42%. The Nasdaq Composite index advanced 3.32% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, gained 4.67%.

Inflation Sparks Stocks
Back-to-back positive inflation reports emboldened investors, sending stocks to their highest levels since April 2022. Lower-than-forecast inflation on both consumer prices and producer prices sparked investor optimism that inflation may be able to fall further without tipping the economy into recession and provide the basis for the Fed to moderate its more hawkish rate hike stance.4

After four straight days of increases, investor attention turned to the kick-off of a new earnings season on Friday. Despite some positive earnings surprises from several …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 10th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Rising concerns about further rate hikes sent stocks lower to kick off the second half of trading.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.96%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 retreated 1.16%. The Nasdaq Composite index surrendered 0.92% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, tumbled 2.57%.

Stocks Slide
Stocks were dragged lower last week by news reigniting fears of additional rate interest rate increases. It started with the minutes from June’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which revealed a majority of voting members supported at least two more rate hikes. But a strong employment report from Automated Data Processing (ADP), a payroll processor, unnerved investors, sending stocks lower and bond yields higher.

Markets stabilized after Friday morning’s federal government’s monthly employment release showed a less-than-expected increase in nonfarm payrolls. But stock prices turned down …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 3rd, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks posted gains for the week to close out a stellar month, aided by positive economic data and reports that all major banks had passed the Federal Reserve’s annual stress test.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.02%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 2.35%. The Nasdaq Composite index added 2.19%. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, increased by 0.76%.

Stocks Climb as Recession Fears Ease
Investors shrugged off weekend news of a short-lived insurrection in Russia and calls later in the week for more restrictive monetary policies from global central bankers.

What powered early-week gains? New home sales, durable goods orders, and a rise in consumer confidence proved influential. More so were Thursday’s reports of a drop in initial jobless claims and an upward revision in first quarter Gross Domestic Product growth, which helped allay …

The Weekly Update

Week of June 26th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks took a breather last week as investors digested the previous week’s surge and the month-to-date solid gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.67%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 1.39%. The Nasdaq Composite index dropped 1.44% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, tumbled 2.00%.

Rally Stalls
The stock market drifted lower last week as the tug-of-war between bulls and bears played out in a week that was light on market-moving news.

After falling in the first days of a holiday-shortened trading week, stocks rebounded on Thursday to recover some of the week’s losses. Stocks looked past Congressional testimony by Fed Chair Powell, who said two more rate hikes are likely in the wake of interest rate hikes by central bankers in the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, and Turkey.

The retreat continued into Friday, …

The Weekly Update

Week of June 19th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks climbed last week as reassuring inflation data boosted investor hopes that the rate-hike cycle was nearing an end amid fresh economic data pointing to continued economic resilience.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.25%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 picked up 2.58%. The Nasdaq Composite index gained 3.25% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, advanced 2.42%

Stocks Rally
Stock market momentum gathered steam last week, blowing past the 4,300 and 4,400 thresholds in the S&P 500–a remarkable feat considering the time it took to break the 4,200-resistance level.

Optimism was high to begin the week, with expectations that fresh evidence of cooling inflation would provide the Fed room to pause on further rate hikes. The data cooperated as consumer prices rose 4.0% year-over-year (the lowest 12-month number in two years), and producer …