The major indexes posted slight weekly losses last week. The Dow and S&P 500 both fell 0.5% for the week, while the Nasdaq pulled back 0.7 percent. The move lower this week took place after the averages jumped more than 2% last week, kicking the S&P 500 above its 50-DMA and out of consolidation territory.…...
It’s funny what a difference a week can make in the markets. Up until last week, the equity market picture looked rather bleak, with investor sentiment waning and record setting volatility. But all of that seemed to have subsided in last week’s trade as the major averages marked their strongest week in quite some time.…...
In the U.S. retail landscape, the strength seen this past holiday season continued into the first quarter of 2018. In fact, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are becoming more bullish on consumer spending as retailers get ready to report their earnings for Q1 2018. The Thomson Reuters Same Store Sales Index is now looking for…...
We want to begin this week’s research report with a quick look back at what some might argue was the most important economic data from last week, the Nonfarm Payroll report. The report showed the U.S. adding 164,000 jobs and unemployment falling to 3.9%; the first time the jobless rate has dropped below 4% since…...
Last week’s jam-packed earnings releases failed to excite investors even as most reporting companies beat analysts’ estimates. About half the S&P 500 companies have reported first-quarter results during the busiest week of the season of quarterly results, with the earnings growth rate at 22.9%, compared with 18.3% at the end of last week. Approximately 80%…...
The prior week for equity investors and the major averages was shaping up to be a strong week that is until the markets hit a wall. The latter trading days, Thursday and Friday, found a lack of buyers and more selling pressure, which ultimately drove the S&P 500 below its 50-DMA once again. The following…...
For this week’s tech report, we focus on that shiny precious metal: gold. Ever since the post-recession high in October of 2011, prices have been on a steady decline stopping just above the 1000.00 level and moving sideways ever since. As of last week, the precious metal has come to test what seems to be…...
Closing out the 1st week of earnings season found the major averages higher last week. In the wake of earnings results from Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Blackrock and JP Morgan Chase, however, investors found the earnings reports to be a sell the news type of event. While we’re not going to get into the individual reports…...
Words carry meaning! As an investor, when contemplating those words in the geopolitical and macro realm, deciphering words and verbiage can be critical to a portfolio’s performance. That statement will likely carry the greatest weight for investors in 2018 than in recent years. The geopolitical environment investors are forced to consider this year likely outweighs…...
Investors are hopeful that April proves a better month for equities than did March and after closing out a bearish quarter for the benchmark S&P 500. Through March, the Dow fell 3.7%, the S&P 500 lost 2.7%, and the Nasdaq fell 2.9 percent. In the first quarter, the blue-chip gauge fell 2.3% and the S&P…...
