Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Nov. 26 – Dec. 2, 2023 November was a good month for markets Christmas came early this year for investors. Colloquially known as a “Santa Claus rally,” the market experienced an upward bounce in the latter half of November. On the equities side, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Nov. 19-25, 2023 Stocks move higher in a quiet trading week Last week was a fairly quiet one, with many people off for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, a couple of notable pieces of data dropped. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported that durable goods orders decreased 5.4% in…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Nov. 12-18, 2023 Markets rally as interest rates dip and chances of additional hikes recede Markets continued to climb back toward end-of-July highs last week. After the Federal Reserve’s last meeting and a softer jobs number indicated a slowing economy, markets began to look for additional confirmation of…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Nov. 5-11, 2023 Markets stall after hawkish comments from Fed officials After last week’s decision to keep interest rates where they are, markets took a breath and focused on comments from Federal Reserve officials this week. First, Michelle Bowman said she expects further tightening will be needed, causing…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2023 Fed pauses and markets bounce back The Federal Reserve paused again last week, holding rates steady at 5.25% to 5.50%. At his post-meeting press conference, Chair Jerome Powell didn’t really provide any direction other than the Fed will continue to depend on…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Oct. 22-28, 2023 Q3 GDP comes in hot — but will it stay that way? Experts were saying that third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) would be strong — but just how strong was a surprise, coming in at an eye-popping 4.9%! Where did all this growth come from,…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: October 15-21, 2023 Gloomy headlines push markets down Markets slid last week amid ongoing geopolitical concerns and tough talk from Federal Reserve officials. The S&P 500 had its biggest weekly decline in a month, while the Nasdaq slid back to four-month lows. But let’s back up. Stocks opened…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Oct. 8-14, 2023 Markets quietly come back Despite the conflict in Israel, markets rallied early last week, and the potential for added turmoil in the Middle East had not had any measurable impact on the markets through the middle of the week. The Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Oct. 1-7, 2023 The market, jobs, economy and the Fed Markets continued to slump last week as bond rates hit levels we haven’t seen in 16 years. Suddenly, a five-year treasury yielding 4.7% isn’t so bad when compared to the volatility of the stock market. Whether we like…

Markets drop as bond yields hit 16-year highs Markets experienced increased volatility today, pushed downward as bond yields reached 16-year highs. Recessionary fears and uncertainty about the Federal Reserve’s next moves regarding interest rates seem to be fueling anxiety. Congressional drama resulting from the fallout from the budget extension is also driving markets. Some members…