Of the market and economic indicators that usually precede recessions, none receives quite the attention as the steepness of the yield curve. It’s for this reason that markets reacted with uncertainty to last week’s intra-day yield curve inversion – the first since 2007. What does this mean for long-term investors and what’s different this time? Continue reading
The stock market finished lower this week in another wild ride on Wall Street. The S&P 500 (-1.0%), Dow Jones Industrial Average (-1.5%), and Russell 2000 (-1.3%) lost at least 1.0%, while the Nasdaq Composite (-0.8%) fared slightly better. Continue reading
For investors who focus too much on day-to-day headlines, the fact that several market and economic concerns have become intertwined is a major challenge. The recent Fed rate cut was partly in response to U.S.-China trade talks. Continue reading
As I write this blog, the markets are recovering somewhat from yesterday’s steep losses. The Dow Jones dropped over 750 points (almost 3%) on Monday alone. Over the past seven days the Dow (and most U.S. indices) are off around -5% (not including today’s recovery). Continue reading
The stock market sold off this week with a bulk of its losses coming after threats of a 10% tariff rate on $300 billion of Chinese goods, effective September 1. The S&P 500 (-3.1%) and the Nasdaq Composite (-3.9%) pulled back considerably from last week’s record highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-2.6%) and Russell 2000 (-2.9%) also had poor performances. Continue reading
This week, the Fed is widely expected to lower interest rates for the first time since 2008. Given a decelerating global economy and mixed economic data in the U.S., along with macroeconomic risks such as U.S. – China trade talks, there are many factors affecting the Fed’s rate decision. Continue reading
The stock market finished the week higher with the S&P 500 (+1.7%) and Nasdaq Composite (+2.3%) setting new record highs in the process. Upbeat earnings results throughout the week, and an encouraging first look into second-quarter GDP, helped the stock market continue its upward trend. Continue reading
The White House and Congressional Democrats in the House appear close to an agreement that would raise the debt ceiling and approve a new spending bill. Feels like déjà vu. Continue reading
This report features world capital market performance and a timeline of events for the 2nd Quarter 2019. It begins with a global overview, then reports the returns of stock and bond asset classes in the US and international markets. We hope you find it helpful. Continue reading
A great week for equities. The stock market recorded its second consecutive week of gains, with the Dow (+1.5% for the week), Nasdaq (+1.0% for the week), and S&P 500 (+0.8% for the week) reaching fresh record highs. Continue reading