The Markets (as of market close May 7, 2021) Stocks opened generally higher last Monday, with only the Nasdaq (-0.5%) losing ground. The Dow closed up 0.7%, followed by the Global Dow (0.6%), the Russell 2000 (0.5%), and the S&P 500 (0.3%). Losses in consumer discretionary, communication services, real estate, and information technology were offset [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 30, 2021) Stocks climbed higher in April on the heels of strong first-quarter corporate earnings reports and encouraging employment data. Vaccine distributions increased and several states relaxed COVID-related restrictions. More stimulus checks were given out, which encouraged consumer spending. The number of jobless claims decreased, while nearly 1,000,000 [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 30, 2021) Last Monday saw small caps and tech shares drive the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq higher. Investors may have drawn encouragement from strong, first-quarter corporate earnings reports, solid economic data, and the expectation that the Federal Reserve will maintain its accommodative stance. Following the Russell 2000 [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 23, 2021) Stocks retreated from record highs last Monday. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% — its largest single-day drop in nearly four weeks. Small caps and tech shares dove lower, pulling down the Russell 2000 (-1.4%) and the Nasdaq (-1.0%). The Dow slipped 0.4% and the Global Dow [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 16, 2021) Stocks ended the first day of trading last week in the red, falling from their record highs of the prior week, as investors await the start of corporate earnings season. Among the indexes, both the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq (-0.4%) led the decline, followed by [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 9, 2021) Strong economic data and a growing number of vaccinated Americans helped fuel significant market gains last Monday. The prior week's favorable jobs report, coupled with purchasing managers' encouraging news in both the manufacturing and services sectors, provided encouragement for investors. The Nasdaq rose 1.7%, followed by [...]
The Markets (first quarter through March 31, 2021) As we closed out 2020, the overwhelming sentiment entering January was that it couldn't get much worse. Unfortunately, January did not start out on a high note. During the first week of the month, protesters stormed the United States Capitol, leading to violence, the disruption of the [...]
The Markets (as of market close April 1, 2021) Stocks opened last week generally down, with only the Dow posting a marginal 0.3% gain. The Russell 2000 plunged 2.8%, the Nasdaq dropped 0.6%, while the Global Dow and the S&P 500 each slipped 0.1%. The sectors were mixed, with utilities, consumer staples, communication services, and [...]
The Markets (as of market close March 26, 2021) Stocks ended last Monday mostly higher, as a rise in Treasury prices sent yields lower, which offered a boost to equities, particularly tech shares. The Nasdaq jumped 1.2%, the S&P 500 gained 0.7%, and the Dow rose 0.3%. Small-cap shares underperformed, driving the Russell 2000 down [...]
The Markets (as of market close March 19, 2021) Stocks opened last week higher on encouraging economic and vaccine news. The S&P 500 climbed for the fifth straight session, closing up 0.7%, and the Dow advanced for the seventh session, reaching another record high after gaining 0.5%. Tech stocks rebounded, driving the Nasdaq up 1.1%. [...]
