Investment Management

Stocks dropped last week into the seasonally weak long Labor Day weekend. More hawkish talk from Fed Chair Powell at Jackson Hole continued to weigh on asset markets. Consumer staples and utilities posted the lone gains in a defensive week. Last week, U.S. markets were down from -3.0% for the…

After reaching an exactly 2-month rally to a 4-month high on August 16, the S&P 500 has lost momentum with an increase in volatility (as expected), ending the week 4.0% lower. Almost all the damage done was done on Friday after Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech. The Nasdaq (-4.4%),…

We titled last week’s update “Stall Speed” after a strong 2-month rally from the June 16th lows. Sure enough, equity market momentum fizzled last week into option expiration. While the S&P 500 added 0.1% Friday, it was a very mixed bag. Declines in technology and materials offset gains elsewhere. The…

Equity markets continued their 2-month rally last week as hints of “FOMO”, fear of missing out, bubbled to the surface. A softer-than-expected July CPI report was medias easy answer to “why?”. Of course, the markets were already up almost +13%, off their mid-June closing lows BEFORE the government data was…

Equity markets gained slightly last week. The post-FOMC rally carried over, but eventually ran into the reality of continued tightening. The S&P 500 added 0.4%. The S&P is up 14% from June 16th June low. However, it was a deep hole to begin the year and it’s still down 13%…

Despite a down start to the week, stocks finished higher for the second straight week, following through on the previous weeks early and massive “breadth thrust”. The S&P500 closed the week and  the month of July at 4130, where it stood in early My when the market “broke down”. The…

U.S. equities rose last week.  The S&P 500 rose 2.5% last week to take July’s gain to almost 5%.  The Nasdaq moved 3.3% higher. The Russell 2000 small caps gained the most ground with a 3.6% rally last week. Earnings season has begun and becomes fevered this week.  The Federal…

Equity markets bounced Thursday and Friday but still ended marginally down on the week. The S&P 500 fell 0.9%, with energy and telecom most down. The S&P index is down 18.9% on the year, with all sectors but energy in the red. The index is positive for July with a…

Equity markets bounced last week due to relief from bond yields, and a feeling that inflation is peaking, albeit it slowly. The S&P 500 rose 1.6% by Friday, led by gains in year-to-date lagging sectors, consumer discretionary, technology and telecom services. Energy, utilities, and materials all lagged the overall indexes….

U.S. markets were closed Monday for Independence Day. Stocks ended lower last week, led down by the Nasdaq (-4.1%) followed by the S&P 500 (-2.2%) and the Dow (-1.3%). Interest rates dropped on Friday, with the 10-year dropping to 2.88%. Most commodities have dropped the last 2 weeks (steel, copper,…

U.S. equity futures are flat this Monday morning as the market looks to build on last week’s +6.4% rally in the S&P 500, which pulled it out of the bear’s paws, now down 18.4% from the peak.  Equity markets rebounded last week, as a pullback in bond yields, inflation worries,…

The cash equities markets are closed today for the federal holiday. Although equity futures are trading about 0.8% higher this morning, the S&P 500 dripped 5.8% last week having its worst week since the initial pandemic shutdowns in March 2020.  The S&P500 sits down -23.4% from the peak, now squarely…