AI and the Fed Rule the Market Financial Markets Equity markets rose for a third consecutive week.  Interestingly, this latest week’s advance was led by the Dow Industrials, and the laggard was the tech-oriented NASDAQ.  The Dow gained 1.45%, the S&P 500 gained 0.61%, and the NASDAQ was flat.  Although last week’s index performance rankings…

U.S. Markets Continue Ahead Financial Markets United States equity markets continued their advance this past week.  They appeared determined to gain ground, even in the face of a slightly hawkish update from the Federal Reserve.  Perhaps even more surprising was the rally seen in the fixed income markets.  For the week, the S&P 500 gained…

Mixed Economic Signals, Market Strength Continues Financial Markets Economic indicators gave mixed signals this past week, and investors had mixed reactions.  The most noteworthy economic news came on Friday with the employment report.  Interestingly, job creation came in stronger than consensus estimates, while the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked higher.  In other words, although job creation…

Economies Appear Strong but Markets Waver Financial Markets United States equity markets took a step back this past week.  The Dow fell 0.98%, the S&P 500 fell 0.51%, and the NASDAQ fell 1.10%.  While there was no single cause for the pullback, a slew of surprising earnings misses within the software industry weighed on the…

Markets Continue to Rise Financial Markets United States Equity markets continued their remarkable run this past week.  The Dow increased by 1.24%, the S&P 500 by 1.54%, and the NASDAQ by 2.11%. The equity markets have clearly been the stars of the investment world.  Interest rates, the Fed, and inflation have been the focus, so,…

Markets Push Ahead! Financial Markets United States financial markets continued their remarkable run this past week.  The Dow gained 2.16%, the S&P 500 gained 1.85%, and the NASDAQ gained 1.14%. The S&P 500 (cap-weighted) finished higher for the third straight week, with a total return of 10.03% this year, and is less than 1% away…

Great News, Job Growth Slowed? Financial Markets At first glance, anyone would be forgiven for thinking our title was a mistake.  But no, it is correct.  This is because market participants are almost solely concerned about the Federal Reserve and interest rates.  The equity markets rallied strongly after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its…

Tech Saves the Day Financial Markets United States equity markets began last week on a strong note, and, through Wednesday, appeared ready to wipe out the losses suffered in the three weeks prior.  However, when Thursday arrived, we received some disturbing economics news, and the markets reversed.  Inflation proved higher than expected and growth, lower—an…