-July 29, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. 2nd quarter earnings continued to outpace expectations with 8-of-10 companies beating consensus estimates. The S&P 500 index was flat for the week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -0.7%. Driven by strong corporate earnings, the tech stocks of NASDAQ Composite jumped +1.3% for the week. The higher beta small-cap stocks outperformed large-cap stocks. In terms of style, large-cap growth stocks outmatched large-cap value stocks. The best performing sectors were tech and health care, while the worst performing sectors were energy & consumer staples. The last week of July was unchanged in the corporate bond market pricing, with spreads remaining static.
-July 22, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. Markets finished modestly higher to cap-off four straight weeks of gains in the slowest week of trading so far this year. The U.S. Equity Market rose for the week with the S&P 500 finishing up +0.3% on strong corporate earnings and increased M&A activity. Second quarter earnings ramped up this week with 89 companies in the S&P 500® Index reporting results. Thus far, 126 companies in the Index have provided quarterly updates: 86 (68%) have exceeded earnings estimates while 72 (57%) have exceeded sales estimates. Large-cap stocks performed in-line with small-cap stocks. In terms of style, large-cap growth stocks outperformed large-cap value stocks. The best performing sectors were info tech and health care, while the worst performing sectors were industrials and energy.
-July 15, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. After being propelled by on a strong start to the earnings season and better-than-expected economic data, the S&P 500 index is on the verge of posting record closing highs for five consecutive days; a feat that has not been seen in nearly two decades. The S&P 500 has risen 8% since the Brexit fallout. Valuations are now getting frothy and in this pricey market environment, we strongly believe that investors should increase diversity across a variety of asset classes.
-July 8, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. Markets rose during the holiday-shortened week with positive economic data buoyed investor sentiment, strong employment data and the Fed Reserve’s Minutes on rate hikes showing “prudent to wait for additional economic data before proceeding.” With this +4% gain in the market over the past two weeks, the S&P 500 closed just below its all-time high. In turn, bond yields continued to drop; the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury closed at 1.37%, down from 1.46% last week. The move reflects high domestic & overseas demand for U.S. Treasuries and perhaps its denomination of the USD.
-July 1, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. The U.S. Equity Market unexpectedly rose for the week as fears of a post-Brexit tantrum failed to materialize. Broad equities staged a dramatic recovery from Monday’s lows, helped by increased M&A activity, after posting three consecutive days of greater than 1% gains. The S&P 500 index ended the week up +3.3%, which snapped a streak of three consecutive weekly losses. This highlights the importance of staying invested through volatile periods because the best days for the market tend to follow its weakest days. However, we continue to suggest preparing for ongoing volatility in the second half of the year by rebalancing portfolios to a more diverse mix of asset classes.
-July 22, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. Markets finished modestly higher to cap-off four straight weeks of gains in the slowest week of trading so far this year. The U.S. Equity Market rose for the week with the S&P 500 finishing up +0.3% on strong corporate earnings and increased M&A activity. Second quarter earnings ramped up this week with 89 companies in the S&P 500® Index reporting results. Thus far, 126 companies in the Index have provided quarterly updates: 86 (68%) have exceeded earnings estimates while 72 (57%) have exceeded sales estimates. Large-cap stocks performed in-line with small-cap stocks. In terms of style, large-cap growth stocks outperformed large-cap value stocks. The best performing sectors were info tech and health care, while the worst performing sectors were industrials and energy.
-July 15, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. After being propelled by on a strong start to the earnings season and better-than-expected economic data, the S&P 500 index is on the verge of posting record closing highs for five consecutive days; a feat that has not been seen in nearly two decades. The S&P 500 has risen 8% since the Brexit fallout. Valuations are now getting frothy and in this pricey market environment, we strongly believe that investors should increase diversity across a variety of asset classes.
-July 8, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. Markets rose during the holiday-shortened week with positive economic data buoyed investor sentiment, strong employment data and the Fed Reserve’s Minutes on rate hikes showing “prudent to wait for additional economic data before proceeding.” With this +4% gain in the market over the past two weeks, the S&P 500 closed just below its all-time high. In turn, bond yields continued to drop; the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury closed at 1.37%, down from 1.46% last week. The move reflects high domestic & overseas demand for U.S. Treasuries and perhaps its denomination of the USD.
-July 1, 2016 Weekly Market Roundup. The U.S. Equity Market unexpectedly rose for the week as fears of a post-Brexit tantrum failed to materialize. Broad equities staged a dramatic recovery from Monday’s lows, helped by increased M&A activity, after posting three consecutive days of greater than 1% gains. The S&P 500 index ended the week up +3.3%, which snapped a streak of three consecutive weekly losses. This highlights the importance of staying invested through volatile periods because the best days for the market tend to follow its weakest days. However, we continue to suggest preparing for ongoing volatility in the second half of the year by rebalancing portfolios to a more diverse mix of asset classes.