Economic News Boosts Stocks
Economic News Boosts Stocks Weekly Update – March 19, 2012 Stocks closed flat on Friday, but all the major indices posted gains of more than 2% this week, their largest one-week advance this year. The week’s gains were primarily driven by a string of positive U.S. economic reports and signs of life in the banking sector. Following Tuesday’s FOMC meeting, the Federal Reserve appears cautiously upbeat about the economy, though Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged that the recovery will be a slow one and announced plans to keep the federal funds rate between 0.00% and 0.25% through at...
read moreBack From the Brink
Back From the Brink Weekly Update – March 12, 2012 Three years ago Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw one of its darkest days. Closing at its Great Recession low of 6,547, investors cringed to see how far stocks had fallen from their October 2007 high of 14,164.[1] Since that day, we’ve experienced one of the greatest three-year runs in the history of the stock market, superseded only by the dot-com craze of the late nineties and the recovery from the Great Depression.[2] Stocks have returned with remarkable resilience. Between the “flash crash” of May 2010, the European...
read moreStocks, Fuel, and Politics
Stocks, Fuel, and Politics Weekly Update – March 5, 2012 The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have been up for eight of the last nine weeks, though mixed economic data caused a minor decline on Friday. The S&P gained 0.28% and the Nasdaq rose 0.44%, but the Dow lost 0.04% for the week. Stocks have been the strongest positive indicator in a slew of mixed information coming at us during the last few weeks. The five-month stock rally has been built on steadily improving economic news and strong underlying fundamentals, though some strategists are calling for a pullback since indexes are hitting...
read moreEconomic News Buoys Stocks
Economic News Buoys Stocks Weekly Update – February 27, 2012 After a week of mixed performance, major indexes locked in weekly gains on Friday, buoyed by positive economic data. The S&P 500 closed at its highest level since 2008, having gained 8% so far this year. The Dow increased about 0.3% this week and flirted with its highest close since May 2008, while the Nasdaq added 0.4% to close at its highest level since December 2000![i] Positive economic numbers released this week included an unexpected boost in consumer confidence in February as Americans continue to be optimistic about...
read moreGood Greece. Bad Iran.
Good Greece. Bad Iran. Weekly Update – February 20, 2012 Despite a turbulent week filled with mixed news from Europe and rising Middle East tensions, stocks closed higher on hopes that Chinese assistance would mean a bailout plan for Greece. The S&P 500 closed at 1361.23, a level not seen in nearly a year, having gained 8.2% so far in 2012. Other major indexes also rose for the week, the Dow advancing 1.2% and the Nasdaq climbing 1.7%. In not-so-great news, crude oil prices rose for a third straight day on U.S. markets Friday, topping $103 a barrel, sparked by increased saber rattling...
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