The S&P 500 advanced 0.6% this week, recouping last week's modest decline, amid a host of retail earnings, more volatility in the Turkish lira, and another chapter in the U.S.-China trade war saga.
This is a difficult time for international stocks, especially in developing countries. At the moment, political and market events in Turkey are sparking volatility across emerging markets.
The S&P 500 started the week on a positive note, extending last week's winning streak and coming within 0.5% of its January 26 record high. However, the index struggled in the back half of the week, especially on Friday amid a sharp drop in the Turkish lira.
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When the prices of goods and services increase over time, consumers can buy fewer of them with every dollar they have saved. This erosion of the real purchasing power of wealth is called inflation. Inflation is an important element of investing.
U.S. stocks edged higher Friday, lifting the S&P 500 to its fifth consecutive weekly gain, after a string of upbeat earnings helped reassure investors that the market is on solid footing.
In a nutshell, the U.S. economy continues to grow at a blistering pace. Last week's GDP (gross domestic product) report estimates that the economy grew by 4.1% in the second quarter, the fastest quarterly pace since 2014.
There were a ton of headlines out of Washington this week, but Wall Street kept its cool, finishing little changed. The S&P 500 finished flat, while the Dow Jones finished a bit higher (+0.2%), and the Nasdaq finished a tick lower (-0.1%). The small-cap Russell 2000 outperformed, rallying 0.6%.
Below you'll find our 2nd Quarter 2018 Newsletter, which includes articles on the economy, markets, and financial planning topics. We hope you find them helpful and informative. Hopefully you are enjoying your summer!
We enter earnings season on a positive note. Wall Street advanced for the second week in a row, with the Nasdaq (+1.8%) touching a new record and the S&P 500 (+1.5%) hitting its best level since the big drop in early February. The Dow Jones (+2.3%) outperformed its peers, returning to positive territory for the year.
U.S. stocks jumped Friday and posted weekly gains, as signs of a buoyant labor market helped investors look past escalating trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
With the second quarter behind us, many investors continue to worry about escalating trade tensions. This has been a challenging environment for all markets, especially international ones.
Trade Tensions Strike Again. U.S. equities declined for the second week in a row (although they did rebound in the second half of the week) as investors continued to focus on U.S.- China trade tensions. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones dropped 1.5% and 1.3%, while the Nasdaq slid 2.4%.
There was a steady stream of noteworthy news this week, but none of the headlines moved the S&P 500 in a significant way. The benchmark index ended the week almost exactly flat, adding less than one point. The tech-heavy Nasdaq outperformed, adding 1.3%, while the Dow lagged, losing 0.9%.
August 17, 2018 Weekly Market Recap