Markets March Higher Despite Omicron

U.S. and International Equities Major Markets higher The major equity markets finished the week higher, as the Santa Claus rally took hold even amid concerns about the Omicron variant’s effects on the economy. The growth style paced the market’s gains, with particular strength in the consumer discretionary and technology sectors that powered the Nasdaq Composite […]

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Markets Continue Lower on COVID-19 Variant Fears

U.S. and International Equities Major Markets Lower The major equity markets finished the week lower. The markets continued to pull back following last Friday’s announcement concerning the new Omicron COVID-19 variant that has now spread globally. The S&P 500 Index suffered its worst two-day performance in over a year this week. Only the utilities sector […]

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Markets Down As New COVID-19 Variant Emerges

U.S. and International Equities Major Markets Lower The major equity markets finished the week lower as markets gave up ground Friday during a holiday-shortened trading session given new COVID-19 variant concerns in South Africa. Friday’s market decline, with the Dow Jones off nearly 1,000 points, is the worst pullback so far in 2021. Consumer staples […]

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Growth Stocks Catch a Bid Amid Renewed COVID-19 Worries In Europe

U.S. and International Equities Major Markets Mixed The major equity markets finished the week mixed as inflation worries continued to play a role in investors’ minds amid an excellent third quarter earnings season. International equities, as represented by the developed international (MSCI EAFE) and emerging markets (MSCI EM), lost ground as COVID-19 cases rebounded in […]

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Inflation Concerns Influence Market Results

U.S. and International Equities Major Markets Mostly Higher The major equity markets finished the week on a negative note as inflation worries played a role in investors’ minds amid an excellent Q3 earning season that has almost concluded. Emerging markets (MSCI EM) was the major bright spot, finishing the week higher. As concerns mount over […]

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Job Growth Bounces Back in October

The October payroll report more than delivered on expectations for a bounce back from the soft September report. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its October employment report this morning, revealing that the domestic economy added a solid 531,000 jobs during the month, exceeding Bloomberg-surveyed economists’ median forecast for a gain of 450,000. This […]

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October Market Insights – The October Rebound

U.S. and International Equities Stocks erased September losses with solid gains in October for the broad market averages. The S&P 500 returned almost 7% for the month, while the Dow Industrials and Nasdaq rose over 5% and 7%, respectively. The developed international markets (MSCI EAFE) and emerging markets (MSCI EM) stocks also finished the month […]

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Leading Indicators Show Tempered Optimism for Economy

On Thursday, October 21, the Conference Board released its September 2021 report detailing the latest reading for the Leading Economic Index (LEI), a composite of ten data series that tend to lead changes in economic activity. Many economic data points are backward-looking, but we pay special attention to the LEI, as it has a forward-looking tilt […]

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Weekly Market Performance – Market Move Higher Amid Positive Earnings and Economic Reports

U.S. and International Equities Major U.S. and International Markets Finished Higher The major equity markets finished solidly in the green this week as we head into the genesis of Q3 earnings season. The international markets, as represented by the developed markets (MSCI EAFE Index) along with the emerging markets (MSCI EM Index) finished the week […]

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Third Quarter Earnings Season Preview

We have used most of the superlatives we know to describe corporate America’s stunning performances over the past two earnings seasons. Despite lofty expectations, results exceeded estimates by huge margins. We expect solid earnings gains during the upcoming third quarter earnings season, but upside surprises will almost certainly be smaller. “We think earnings growth will […]

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