Weekly Market Commentary

The Federal Reserve, as expected, cut its monetary policy rate by twenty-five basis points to 3.50%-3.75% and tempered expectations for further cuts in 2026.  The decision was not unanimous, as a divided Fed considered elevated inflation against a weakening labor...

Apprehensive investors pushed markets higher this week, with the small-cap Russell 2000 hitting a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 closed just 50 points below its October all-time high.  Economic data, some of which is quite dated, offered a mixed picture of...

The holiday-shortened week saw global financial markets trade higher. Increased optimism for a December rate cut, along with some constructive news on the AI front, catalyzed buying across risk assets. Several Fed officials indicated they were inclined to support a...

Financial markets continued to decline as investors sold AI-related stocks amid valuation concerns, while rotating into more defensive sectors such as healthcare and consumer staples.  A stellar third-quarter earnings report from NVidia prompted investors to step in...

Markets were choppy and ended the week with mixed results.  Investors poured into risk assets on the idea that the longest US government shutdown was over, but a more hawkish tone from several Fed officials recalibrated expectations for a December rate cut and...

Well, the market finally had a significant pullback, but not before the S&P 500 and NASDAQ were able to set another all-time high.  The week began with a deal between OpenAI and AMD, sending AMD shares nearly 24% higher.  The deal catalyzed the technology sector...

Investors sent US markets to another set of all-time highs despite concerns about an extended government shutdown.  The U.S. government shutdown was largely dismissed by markets last week, which came as a surprise given that several key economic data sets (Initial...

The S&P 500 hit a 28th record high for the year before settling lower for the week. Investors endured a choppy week of trading as better-than-expected economic data and better-than-feared inflation data tempered the notion of additional rate cuts.  Several Fed...

The major US equity market indices forged another set of all-time highs as investors went all in on risk assets after the Federal Reserve announced a twenty-five basis point cut to its policy rate and telegraphed the potential for three more cuts by January 2026. The...

US equity indices posted another set of all-time highs as investors increased expectations for three, twenty-five basis point rate cuts by year's end.  Inflation data reported for the week essentially gave the Fed the green light for a September rate cut....

Investors sent the S&P 500 to another all-time high in a holiday-shortened week of trading.  President Trump started the week by asking the Supreme Court to expedite a hearing to challenge the International Trade Court and the Federal Court of Appeals rulings that...

The S&P 500 posted a gain for the fourth consecutive month as investors continued to embrace the prospects of a September rate cut, a robust economic outlook, and strong corporate earnings.  The much-anticipated second-quarter results from NVidia were met with...

US equity markets ended the week with a powerful move to the upside after Fed Chairman J. Powell indicated that the balance of risk had shifted to the labor market, leaving the door open for a September rate cut.  The final day of trading wiped out losses incurred in...

Global financial markets had another positive week as the Dow Jones Industrial Average finally joined the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ with a new all-time high.  Benign consumer inflation increased the probability of a September rate cut to 99% and fostered the idea of...

Global financial markets rallied last week as investors stepped in again to buy the prior week’s dip in prices.  Japan, Germany, Spain, and Italy were international market standouts.  In the US, the S&P 500 fell just shy of a new all-time high, while the...

Markets forged another set of all-time highs before taking a step back last week as a deluge of information had to be digested by investors.  August 1st was the tariff deadline, and while some deals were made ahead of the deadline, several other countries had their...

The S&P 500 and NASDAQ reached another set of all-time highs, driven by constructive rhetoric on global trade and positive second-quarter earnings results from influential companies such as Alphabet.  The S&P is up 8.6% year to date, while the NASDAQ is up...

The holiday-shortened week produced another week of gains for US equity indices.  The S&P 500 was up 10.6 % in the 2nd quarter, while the NASDAQ composite rose 17.8%.  Trump’s reconciliation bill was passed by the Senate and subsequently approved by the House,...