Weekly Economic Update – October 14, 2019 October 14, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Stock prices pushed higher last week, as investors remained hyper-focused on any new developments with the U.S. trade negotiations with China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up 0.91%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 0.62%. The Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.93% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, [...]
Weekly Economic Update – October 7, 2019 October 7, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET The fourth quarter started with a mixed week for equities. A slip for an index of U.S. manufacturing activity proved to be a market mover, more so than the latest jobs report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.92% for the week; the S&P 500, 0.33%. In contrast, the Nasdaq [...]
Weekly Economic Update – September 30, 2019 September 30, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Stocks retreated last week. Traders worried that the formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump might distract White House officials from their pursuit of a trade deal with China and shift the focus of Congress away from consideration of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Also, news broke Friday that the [...]
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Weekly Economic Update – September 23, 2019 September 23, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Investors reacted to two major news items last week, one far more of a surprise than the other. The Federal Reserve did indeed make a rate cut, matching Wall Street expectations. Drone strikes on two of the world’s largest oil fields brought a shock to the global oil market. At [...]
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Weekly Economic Update – September 16, 2019 September 16, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Stocks edged toward all-time peaks during a relatively calm week marked by easing trade tensions. Friday marked the eighth straight daily advance for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.1 Small-cap shares, as tracked by the Russell 2000 index, rose 4.85% in five days. The S&P 500 improved 0.96% for the week, [...]
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Weekly Economic Update – September 9, 2019 September 9, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Stocks rose last week, with help from two developments: the announcement of further U.S.-China trade talks as well as August hiring and manufacturing numbers that seemed to bolster the argument for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The broad U.S. equity market, as represented by the S&P 500, added [...]
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Weekly Economic Update – September 2, 2019 September 3, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Traders assumed that the week’s biggest news event would be Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole banking conference. Instead, China seized the headlines by announcing new tariffs on U.S. goods. Domestic stocks ended up lower for the week. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.83%; the S&P [...]
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Weekly Economic Update – August 26, 2019 August 26, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET Traders assumed that the week’s biggest news event would be Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole banking conference. Instead, China seized the headlines by announcing new tariffs on U.S. goods. Domestic stocks ended up lower for the week. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.83%; the S&P [...]
Weekly Economic Update – August 19, 2019 August 19, 2019 THE WEEK ON WALL STREET U.S. stock indices saw significant ups and downs last week, with traders looking for economic cues from Treasury yields and also developments in the tariff fight between the U.S. and China. The S&P 500 lost 1.03% on the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite respectively declined 1.53% [...]
Weekly Economic Update – August 12, 2019 August 12, 2019 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 [...]