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Weekly Update: August 12, 2019-Trade Tensions Affect Stocks

August 12, 2019

Trade Tensions Affect Stocks

The Week on Wall Street
Stocks spent much of last week rebounding from a Monday drop that reflected nervousness about the U.S.-China trade fight. By Thursday’s closing bell, the S&P 500 had regained all its Monday losses – but it descended again on Friday.

The three big U.S. equity benchmarks finished the week lower: the S&P declined 0.46%; the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 0.75%; the Nasdaq Composite, 0.56%. A broad index of foreign shares, the MSCI EAFE, lost 0.95%.

China Devalues Its Currency
Last Monday, stocks fell 3% in reaction to the overnight weakening of the Chinese yuan. A weaker yuan makes Chinese exports cheaper for buyers who pay for them in dollars.

Critics quickly accused China of manipulating its currency to strike back at the U.S. The federal government plans to impose tariffs on nearly all Chinese products next month, likely making those goods more expensive to…

Weekly Update: August 5, 2019-Fed Cuts Rates, Stocks Retreat

August 6, 2019

Fed Cuts Rates, Stocks Retreat

The Week on Wall Street
Last week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time in more than a decade, in line with Wall Street’s expectations. Ironically, stocks had their worst week of 2019.

The S&P 500 finished the week 3.10% lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite also posted weekly losses; the blue chips fell 2.60%, while the premier tech benchmark slumped 3.92%. International stocks tracked by MSCI’s EAFE index dipped 1.06%.

Fed Cuts Benchmark Interest Rate
On Wednesday, the central bank reduced the federal funds rate by 0.25%. The latest Fed policy statement noted that “global developments” and “muted inflation” influenced …

Weekly Update: July 29, 2019-S&P & Nasdaq Outgain Dow

July 30, 2019

S&P & Nasdaq Outgain Dow

The Week on Wall Street
Last week, investors assessed earnings and the initial estimate of second-quarter economic growth, while awaiting the Federal Reserve’s next announcement about interest rates.

Stocks rose for the week; particularly, tech shares. The S&P 500 gained 1.65%; the Nasdaq Composite, 2.26%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, adding just 0.14%. MSCI’s EAFE index, a gauge of equity performance in developed foreign markets, ticked up 0.01%.

Economy Grew Moderately in Q2
Analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast 2.0% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter. The actual estimate, announced Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, was slightly…

Weekly Update: July 22, 2019-Stocks Descend from Recent Peaks

July 23, 2019

Stocks Descend from Recent Peaks

The Week on Wall Street
Stock benchmarks retreated during the first week of the second-quarter earnings season. As some big names shared quarterly results, investors seemed more interested in what might happen at the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting.

For the week, the S&P 500 declined 1.23%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.65%, and the Nasdaq Composite, 1.18%. International stocks, measured by the week-over-week performance of the MSCI EAFE index, were down 0.79%.

Households Bought More Last Month
Retail sales were up 0.4% in June, according to the Department of Commerce. Consumer purchases account for more than two-thirds of America’s gross domestic product, and data like this may rebut some assertions that the economy is …

Weekly Update: July 15, 2019-S&P 500 Tops 3,000

July 16, 2019

S&P 500 Tops 3,000

The Week on Wall Street
Friday, the S&P 500 settled above 3,000 for the first time, after rising 0.78% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average chalked up a milestone of its own: the blue chips ended the week above 27,000, gaining 1.52% on the way. Additionally, the Nasdaq Composite wrapped up the week 1.01% higher. The MSCI EAFE index, a gauge of overseas developed markets, fell 0.65%.

Stocks rallied at midweek with help from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony on monetary policy, plus the latest Fed meeting minutes.

Jerome Powell’s Statements
Wednesday, Chairman Powell told Capitol Hill lawmakers that “uncertainties around global growth and trade continue to weigh on the outlook” of the Federal Open Market Committee. He also noted that “manufacturing, trade, and investment are…

Weekly Update: July 8, 2019-Quarterly Report

July 9, 2019

Quarterly Report

U.S. stock benchmarks opened a new quarter positively. The S&P 500 gained 1.65% in the opening week of July; the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 1.21%; the Nasdaq Composite, 1.94%. Overseas, stocks in developed markets, tracked by MSCI’s EAFE index, rose 1.43%.

On July 3, the S&P posted its latest record close: 2,995.82. In other news, the Department of Labor said that the economy added 224,000 net new jobs in June, far more than the 160,000 projected by analysts in a Bloomberg poll.

The headline jobless rate ticked up 0.1% to 3.7% in June; the U-6 rate, including the underemployed, also rose 0.1% to 7.2%. Finally, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said that the federal government plans to levy new tariffs on $4 billion of food and beverages coming from the European Union.

Monday, July 15 will mark the start of the next earnings season. Money-center banks report first, followed by companies from a variety of industries. As Wall Street gets ready for their results, we will take a moment to…

Weekly Update: July 1, 2019-Down Week Ends Strong Month

July 2, 2019

Down Week Ends Strong Month

A month of gains for stocks ended with a weekly retreat. The S&P 500 lost 0.30%; the Nasdaq Composite, 0.32%; the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 0.45%. In contrast, overseas shares, tracked by the MSCI EAFE index, advanced 0.14%.

Last month was the best June for the blue chips since 1938; the best month for the S&P, since 1955. The Dow gained 6.9% in June, the S&P 6.2%.

Trade Talks Could Soon Restart
All week, investors had one eye on Saturday’s Group of 20 summit in Japan, where President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were slated to meet.

This weekend, President Trump announced that he and President Xi had agreed to a resumption of trade talks between the U.S. and China. As part of that agreement, the U.S. is…

Weekly Update: June 24, 2019-Stocks Touch Record High

June 24, 2019

Stocks Touch Record High

The Week on Wall Street
The S&P 500 hit an all-time peak of 2,964.03, in intraday trading Friday, while improving 2.20% across five market days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite posted respective, 5-day advances of 2.41% and 3.01%.

In addition, the MSCI EAFE benchmark of overseas stocks rose 2.58%. A White House tweet and the latest monetary policy outlook from the Federal Reserve sent the bulls running. These were the top two financial news items in an eventful week – a week in which the value of West Texas Intermediate crude rose 9.4%

Weekly Update: June 17, 2019-Further June Gains

June 18, 2019

Further June Gains

The Week on Wall Street
Stocks advanced for a second straight week. The S&P 500 benchmark rose 0.47%; the Nasdaq Composite, 0.70%; the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 0.41%. Overseas shares, as tracked by the MSCI EAFE developed markets index, added 0.20%.

The market seemed to put its recent preoccupation with trade issues aside, with attention shifting to this week’s Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting. Traders in futures markets now believe the Fed will make a rate cut in July, so its June policy statement will be of great interest.

Oil Prices Rollercoaster
Attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the busy oil shipping channel…

Big Gains for the Major Indices

June 11, 2019

Big Gains for the Major Indices

The Week on Wall Street
Stocks rallied during a week in which Wall Street was buffeted by headlines. The S&P 500 rose 4.41%. The Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average respectively added 3.88% and.

Following a mixed Monday, the market jumped Tuesday after dovish remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Breaking out of a 6-week losing streak, the Dow had its best week since, >

Speaking at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Fed chair stated that central bank officials “will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion” of the economy in the.…

Table of Contents

Trade Tensions Affect Stocks

Table of Contents

Fed Cuts Rates, Stocks Retreat

Table of Contents

S&P & Nasdaq Outgain Dow

Table of Contents

Stocks Descend from Recent Peaks

Table of Contents

S&P 500 Tops 3,000

Table of Contents

Quarterly Report

Table of Contents

Down Week Ends Strong Month

Table of Contents

Stocks Touch Record High

Table of Contents

Further June Gains

Table of Contents

Big Gains for the Major Indices