Weekly Market Commentary

Week of September 21, 2015

With all eyes on the Federal Reserve, markets finished the week with declines, ending down for the week. The S&P 500 finished the week down 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%.Read more

Week of September 14, 2015

The flip-flop continues. Equity markets have bounced between gains and losses for the past ten weeks. Last week, a difficult start was reversed by Friday as investors welcomed more favorable jobs data. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1% while the Nasdaq Composite moved higher by 3%. Read more

Week of September 7, 2015

Investors looking for a fresh start to the new month were disappointed last week even with some favorable economic news. The “good news is bad news” dynamic returned when Wall Street interpreted the jobs report on Friday as sign that the Fed is now more likely to raise interest rates when it meets in a little over a week. Read more

Week of August 31, 2015

Despite the rocky start, markets finished the week higher. The concerns about slowing global growth, led by China, spilled over from the previous week and pressured stocks lower on Monday and Tuesday. At one point during the trading session on Tuesday, the S&P 500 fell to 12% below its recent peak. Read more

Week of August 24, 2015

In a week where Wall Street usually heads to the beach for vacation, traders were ambushed by a wave of volatility. Read more

Week of August 17, 2015

Volatility returned to the markets last week when the Chinese central bank devalued its currency and enacted policies toward a more market-based exchange rate. Investors were already on edge about slowing economic growth after watching the plunge in oil, gold, industrial metals and the Chinese stock market. Read more

Week of August 10, 2015

Major markets returned to the red this week due largely to a continued slide in oil, disappointing earnings reports (particularly media stocks) and economic data that emboldened believers in a September rate hike. In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted losses each day last week, pushing its losing streak to seven consecutive days, the longest run in four years. Read more

Week of August 3, 2015

Most major markets rebounded last week as turmoil in Greece and China, and weak reports from earlier in earnings season, became distant memories. Additionally, weak wage growth and slower than expected GDP expansion added to the speculation that the Federal Reserve would leave rates untouched in September, and perhaps through the remainder of 2015. Read more

Week of July 27, 2015

Markets were walloped this week by a string of disappointing earnings releases, poor manufacturing data out of China and a clerical mistake at the Federal Reserve that leaked data showing internal forecast for slower domestic growth. Read more

Week of July 20, 2015

Equity markets rebounded this week as concerns over Greece were put to rest, the slide in Chinese equities reversed and earnings season kicked off with strong quarterly results. The S&P 500 jumped 2.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose almost 2%. And, the Nasdaq Composite soared to a new record high, rising 4.3% for the week. Read more

Week of July 13, 2015

Equity markets showed resilience last week. The perfect storm was brewing with continued drama surrounding the Greek bailout, Chinese equity markets continuing to collapse and software glitches that shutdown the New York Stock exchange, grounded flights at United Airlines and took the Wall Street Journal’s web page offline briefly. Read more

Week of July 6, 2015

Even though last week was shortened due to the 4th of July holiday, the fireworks came early as continued turmoil in Greece dominated headlines. Major equity markets collapsed on Monday and spent the rest of the week trying to claw back declines. Read more

Week of June 29, 2015

The mood of the stock market last week changed daily, going up and down to end the week just barely below where they started. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both dipped 0.4% while the Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.7%. Read more

Week of June 22, 2015

Major markets were buoyed higher mid-week by dovish comments from the Federal Reserve only to give back most of the gains on Friday as concerns about a Greek default heightened. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% for the week. Read more

Week of June 15, 2015

Good domestic economic news was overshadowed by renewed concerns over the Greek bailout this week. After rising early in the week, most major indexes pulled back on Friday to end the week modestly higher. Read more

Week of June 08, 2015

Whether it was despite or because of equity, investors shrugged off positive economic news last week and sent equities lower and bond yields higher. The S&P 500 dipped 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 1%, while the NASDAQ Composite was essentially flat. Read more

Week of June 01, 2015

Last week, equity markets suffered a “death by a thousand cuts.” The S&P 500 fell 0.9% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.2%. The Nasdaq Composite was the star of the week, only collapsing 0.4%. Read more

Week of May 26, 2015

Investors clearly had upcoming cookouts on their mind last week given the mostly quiet trading heading into the long weekend. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were essentially flat, and the Nasdaq Composite rose just 0.8%. Read more

Week of May 18, 2015

Markets shrugged off weak economic data last week and pushed the S&P 500 to an all-time high. The S&P climbed 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%. And, the Nasdaq jumped nearly 1%. Read more

Week of May 11, 2015

Major equity indexes made up the ground lost earlier in the week on Friday after the Labor Department’s Goldilocks jobs report and a surprise result in the U.K. elections. The S&P 500 rose 1.35% on Friday to finish the week essentially flat. Read more

Week of May 04, 2015

Equity markets reversed course last week. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3%. And, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the small-cap Russell 2000 were harder hit, declining 1.7% and 3.1%, respectively. Read more

Week of April 27, 2015

The equity markets shot higher last week. The S&P 500 rose 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.4%. And, the star was the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, climbing 3.3% on the back of better-than-expected earnings from a couple large-cap tech companies. Read more

Week of April 20, 2015

If only this week were another holiday-shortened trading session. All major indexes collapsed on Friday over concerns about Greece, a bubble in Chinese stocks and less than impressive earnings results from a few companies. Read more

Week of April 13, 2015

Major stock indexes rose for the second week in a row last week. The S&P 500 jumped 1.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average grew a similar amount. Read more

Week of April 06, 2015

Equity markets witnessed a tiny rise in the holiday-shortened week of trading. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average inched just 0.3% higher. The Nasdaq composite slipped slightly, or 0.1%. Read more

Week of March 30, 2015

The euphoria felt after last week’s Federal Reserve meeting was overwhelmed by nervousness this week as equities erased nearly all of the gains posted last week. The S&P 500 collapsed 2.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.3% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite was cut by 2.7%. Read more

Week of March 23, 2015

Stocks reversed course this week as the Fed hinted it would raise rates later and slower than investors anticipated. This pushed the S&P 500 up 2.7% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 3.2%. Read more

Week of March 16, 2015

Equities continued retreating this week on the back of a strengthening dollar and falling energy prices. The S&P 500 fell just under 1%, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was clipped by a little more than half as much (0.6%). Read more

Week of March 09, 2015

Last week was a telling reminder of how addicted to easy money equity markets have become. A relatively uneventful week turned south quickly when a better than anticipated U.S. jobs report shifted expectations of a Fed rate hike to sooner rather than later. Read more

Week of March 02, 2015

It was a quiet week for markets. Economic data released throughout the week was mixed and mild enough to keep major domestic benchmarks largely unchanged. Outside of the U.S., equities fared better. Read more

Week of February 23, 2015

Markets continued rising this week and ended Friday at new highs. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed 0.7% higher, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.3%. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose to 2.14%, up from below 1.7% just a few weeks ago. Read more

Week of February 16, 2015

Bulls stampeded this week as stronger fundamentals and easing geopolitical tensions aligned to send markets higher. Read more

Week of February 09, 2015

The roller coaster ride continues as stocks soared this week and recovered ground lost at the end of January. The S&P 500 jumped 3% for the week while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.4% and 3.8%, respectively. Read more

Week of February 02, 2015

Stocks continued two familiar recent trends this week: increased volatility and continued weakness. The S&P 500 fell 2.77% for the week and is now down 3.10% year-to-date. Read more

Week of January 26, 2015

The move by the European Central Bank (ECB) sent markets higher last week during the holiday-shorted trading session. The S&P 500 rose 1.6%, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.7% and the MSCI World Index, which measures performance of developed countries, gained 2% as well. Interestingly, the energy sector displayed some signs of stabilization, gaining 2% for the week even as oil prices continued to tumble. Read more

Week of January 26, 2015

The move by the European Central Bank (ECB) sent markets higher last week during the holiday-shorted trading session. The S&P 500 rose 1.6%, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.7% and the MSCI World Index, which measures performance of developed countries, gained 2% as well. Interestingly, the energy sector displayed some signs of stabilization, gaining 2% for the week even as oil prices continued to tumble. Read more

Week of January 19, 2015

Continued declines in oil and increasing concerns about slowing worldwide growth put more pressure on equities this week. The S&P 500 finished the week down 1.3% while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow fell similar amounts. Read more

Week of January 12, 2015

Many financial experts are calling for increased volatility in 2015 and the first full week of trading didn’t disappoint. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted tripled-digit moves for each day of the week. Read more

Week of January 5, 2015

The markets ended an impressive year with a whimper. All major indexes finished the holiday shortened week down more than 1% on low volume. Read more

Week of December 29, 2014

The Santa Rally got off to a good start last week when the S&P 500 rose 0.9% to reach its 52nd record close of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.4% to cap off a 1,000 point rally in the past ten days. Read more

Week of December 22, 2014

Last week the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 3%, nearly recapturing the loss from the week prior. The S&P 500 also gained 3.4% to end to the week at 2,070 as investors shrugged off concerns of collapsing oil prices, a crumbling Russian economy and slowing worldwide growth. Read more

Week of December 15, 2014

After a long string of higher closes, the market finished lower last week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipping 3.8%. The S&P 500 fell 1.6% as well. Read more

Week of December 08, 2014

Last Friday, the Labor Department released the final jobs report in 2014 and it was the best posting since 1999. The U.S. economy added 321,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls (topping consensus of 285,000), and the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.8% (down from 7% in November 2013). Read more 

Week of December 01, 2014

Despite low volume during the holiday-shortened week, markets pushed higher thanks largely to continued improving economic data domestically. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the third quarter was revised up to 3.9%, which put the combined six-month rate at 4.25%, the best pace of expansion since 2003. Read more

Week of November 24, 2014

The trickle of weak international economic data continues. Japan started the week off with the surprise announcement that its economy officially slipped into recession with the second consecutive quarter of Gross Domestic Product contraction. Read more

Week of November 17, 2014

Equity markets were quiet last week but still made enough noise to reach a new record close. The S&P 500 ended the week up 0.38% and the Dow Jones Industrial average rose roughly the same amount. Read more

Week of November 10, 2014

Americans headed to the polls last week and handed the Republican Party the five seats it needed to secure a majority in the Senate. The GOP expanded its lead in the House too. Read more

Week of November 03, 2014

Last week all eyes were on Janet Yellen as the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) agreed to end quantitative easing. The highly anticipated move put a halt to the experimental bond purchase program that nearly doubled the Fed’s balance sheet over the past five years to roughly $4.5 trillion. Read more

Week of October 27, 2014

Robert Hagstrom, author of the The Warren Buffet Way, often refers to investing as “the last liberal art.” He advocates casting a wide net and deploying intellectual curiosity broadly because investment wisdom and insight can be found around every corner. Read more

Week of October 20, 2014

Our good friend Mr. Volatility returned this week in a grand fashion, touching all asset classes. From peak to trough, the S&P 500 fell over 90 points in intraday trading, or nearly 5% within the span of 3 days. Read more

Week of October 13, 2014

Investors were forced to grit their teeth and hold tightly last week, as markets slid downward at the quickest pace seen since May 2012. Read more

Week of October 06, 2014

The financial markets continued to bounce hurriedly in different directions on different days last week. After suffering several consecutive days of decline, the S&P 500 rallied back furiously to finish out the week. Read more

Week of September 29, 2014

Volatility made a rare appearance last week as investors reacted sensitively to both positive and negative announcements. Conflict abroad sent shares downward at several points throughout the week, while encouraging economic readings salvaged some of the damage to end the week. Read more

Week of September 22, 2014

Central Bankers across the globe reiterated their dovish stances last week, and owners of U.S. markets were rewarded handsomely. The S&P 500 rallied 1.25 percent last week and set yet another price record on Friday. Read more

Week of September 15, 2014

For the first time in five weeks, U.S. equities finished a week with a loss. Investors exercised caution as U.S. interest rates reached their highest levels in several months. Read more

Week of September 8, 2014

Investors continued to find reasons to remain optimistic last week, as the S&P 500 added another 0.22 percent and finished another week above 2,000. Read more

Week of September 2, 2014

The S&P 500 pulled off the equivalent of a behind the back catch last month as it defied odds and accomplished the highly improbable. Read more

Week of August 25, 2014

The markets once again set a new record high last Thursday, making it the 28th day this year that the S&P 500 closed at an all-time high. Read more

Week of August 18, 2014

Investors who are anticipating a long-awaited correction in the market were surely disappointed last week as stocks bounced back from their recent drawdown. Read more

Week of August 11, 2014

Following swift moves lower throughout the previous weeks, the market mostly regained traction and weathered a choppy terrain to finish higher last week. The S&P 500 gained 0.33 percent with much of the week’s forward progress being achieved on Friday. Read more

Week of August 4, 2014

In what turned out to be the worst week for U.S. stocks in more than two years, the S&P 500 dipped 2.69 percent with the majority of the damage having taken place on Thursday. There doesn’t appear to be any sole catalyst for the decline, as investors were offered a plethora of reasons to turn negative. Read more

Week of July 28, 2014

Investors weren’t quite sure which direction to head last week as the S&P 500 finished almost exactly where it began, having gained a miniscule 0.01 percent. Read more

Week of July 21, 2014

Israel’s invasion of Palestine, a Malaysian passenger aircraft shot down over Ukraine and unfriendly comments from Fed Chair Yellen on stocks. All of these events gave investors ample reason to send risky assets lower last week. Read more

Week of July 14, 2014

Fresh off the heels of an outstanding week for financial markets that set several record highs for stocks, investors ducked behind the bushes last week at the first sign of danger. Read more

Week of July 7, 2014

It was a short week on Wall Street due to the Independence Day holiday, but that didn’t prevent stocks from putting in a solid amount of work. The S&P 500 boomed another 1.25 percent higher in only four trading days, bringing 2014’s year to date gains to 7.4 percent. Read more

Week of June 30, 2014

Despite the fact that 2014’s first quarter turned out to be one of the worst quarters in the history of the U.S. economy, stocks finished the week only 0.1 percent lower. Read more

Week of June 23, 2014

Stocks once again breached new territory last week, as the S&P 500 notched positive gains each of the five trading days and closed out Friday at a new all-time high of 1962.87. Read more

Week of June 14, 2014

Fresh off the heels of a stellar rally, stock prices paused underneath their all-time highs last week as conflicting economic data was released and turmoil erupted in the Middle East. Read More

Week of June 9, 2014

Another week, another record high for U.S. equities. The S&P 500 finished last Friday at 1949.44, the highest closing price in the history of the popular stock market index. Read More

Week of June 2, 2014

The month of May turned out to be great for investors. The S&P 500 gained yet another 2.1 percent during the month, broke through 1,900 for the first time, and brought the number of consecutive monthly gains for stocks to four. Read More

Week of May 27, 2014

The S&P 500 closed above 1,900 for the first time ever last week. Investors have had a long list of reasons to remain cautious this year, but the stock market has remained resilient as it marched to this new milestone. Read More

Week of May 19, 2014

Entering 2014, the majority of market experts predicted a rise in interest rates as the Federal Reserve continued on their path of removing stimulus. And when interest rates rise, prices of fixed income instruments move in the opposite direction. Read More

Week of May 12, 2014

Disparity was once again rampant in the world of stocks last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is mostly composed of stocks of large, established corporations, set all-time highs last week, all while once red-hot stocks of smaller companies continued to rapidly lose favor. Read More

Week of May 5, 2014

Stocks rallied once again last week, with the S&P 500 adding just under 1 percent and finishing just below all-time highs. These are mystifying times for the financial markets and overall economy as the Federal Reserve continues to move forward with their plans to decelerate their quantitative easing programs, but not in a way that will scare investors into thinking they’re pulling out too soon. Read More

Week of April 28, 2014

Last week the financial markets offered many different results for various investors. While the overall S&P 500 index officially declined about 0.1 percent on the week, stocks continued to move more on their own individual merits rather than in high correlation with one another. Read More

Week of April 21, 2014

Once again, investors witnessed a swift shift in sentiment last week as investors barreled back into stocks. The S&P 500 gained nearly 50 points to finish the week at 1,864... Read More

Week of April 14, 2014

While there are certainly many factors that we could point to in order to rationalize the steep sell-off in stocks last week, it really came down to a simple shift in sentiment... Read More

Week of April 07, 2014

Despite a setback to finish the week, stocks continued to advance for the most part as the S&P 500 finished last week 0.4 percent higher... Read More