Weekly Market Commentary

Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets were extremely busy last week as a rush to download a Chinese AI platform called Deep Seek from Apple’s App Store seemingly changed the narrative around artificial intelligence in a heartbeat and on multiple fronts.  Capital...

Darren Leavitt, CFA Wow, what a week! US markets were closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. It was a historic day indeed. The global markets were poised for a barrage of executive...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets advanced this week as a solid start to the fourth-quarter earnings season, and some better-than-feared inflation data gave investors a reason to buy the most recent dip.  The financial sector gained 6.1% on the week as bank...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets fell in the first full week of 2025 as investors recalibrated their Federal Reserve monetary policy expectations. Stronger labor data, a robust ISM Services print, and a weaker Consumer Sentiment report showing increased...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The final trading sessions for 2024 extended losses from the prior week, but the S&P 500 and NASDAQ still posted impressive gains for the year, 23.3% and 28.6%, respectively.  The so-called Santa Clause Rally did not appear for the second...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Market action was mixed in a holiday-shortened week of trade.  The Santa Clause rally, which runs for the last five trading sessions of the year through the first two trading sessions of the New Year, kicked off with gains from mega-cap...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity and fixed-income markets sold off for the second consecutive week as the Federal Reserve delivered an expected twenty-five basis-point rate cut but pivoted to a much more hawkish stance for 2025, where the committee now expects only two...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The Nasdaq eclipsed the 20,000 level for the first time this week as investors reengaged in buying the mega-cap technology names.  Amazon, Google, Tesla, and Meta hit new highs for the year as investors heard about more advances in AI and quantum...

The S&P 500 forged another set of all-time highs as investors embraced the idea of an economy running at a pace appropriate for the Fed to consider further rate cuts. Leadership in the market toggled back to the mega-cap technology issues, with the communication...

The S&P 500 forged another set of all-time highs as investors embraced the idea of an economy running at a pace appropriate for the Fed to consider further rate cuts. Leadership in the market toggled back to the mega-cap technology issues, with the communication...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week saw the S&P 500 and Dow rise to new all-time highs.  Investors cheered the nomination of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary, who is seen as a fiscal hawk and someone who will support Trump’s trade policies.  US...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets bounced back as investors reengaged the pro-growth Trump 2.0 trade.  President-elect Trump continued to fill out his cabinet and, late Friday announced Scott Bessent as his nominee for Treasury Secretary.  Wall Street has endorsed Bessent,...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets pulled back last week as investors took profits from the outsized move higher seen following the US election. Sticky inflation prints, coupled with solid retail sales and hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman J. Powell,...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 notched its 50th all-time high of 2024 as investors piled into equities after a decisive US election.  Wall Street embraced the idea that President-Elect Trump would enact several pro-growth policies to bolster corporate profits. ...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA It was a very busy week on Wall Street as investors analyzed a deluge of corporate earnings reports and a full economic data calendar.  The S&P 500 traded lower for the second consecutive week and could not close out October with a gain,...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets pulled back last week as investors took the opportunity to reduce some risk before a very close US Presidential election. In the US, nearly 20% of the S&P 500 reported earnings. Generally, results came in better than expected;...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 advanced for the sixth consecutive week, closing at a new record high. This week, a broadening out of the market’s rally was evident, with small caps and the equally weighted S&P 500 index outperforming. Markets also appear to...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average forged another set of all-time highs despite facing several macro headwinds. Chinese markets reopened after celebrating Golden Week with significant losses. Investors were expecting an announcement...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 closed higher for a fourth consecutive quarter, the first time it has done so since 2011. Investors continued to face a challenging macro environment. Escalating tensions in the Middle East, a Longshoremen’s strike, the aftermath...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets posted a third week of gains as global central banks continued to cut monetary policy rates.  China, Switzerland, Mexico, Hungry, and the Czech Republic cut their policy rates.  Chinese markets gained on the news that several...