Category Archives: Economy/Stock Market

The markets started the week on a down note as investors looked for clues about whether trouble overseas could begin to depress U.S. growth. Adding to the pressure, investors are worried about the Federal Reserve’s plan for raising interest rates. A drop in crude oil brought energy stocks down. With Tuesday’s jump in oil prices, energy brands rose and brought the market indices along for a green finish. Measuring consumer confidence, the Conference Board data hit 98.1 for January versus a reading of 96.3 in December. Mid-week, U.S. stocks declined as the Federal Reserve kept a March increase in interest rates on the table, unnerving investors after weeks of sharp swings in global markets. The Fed said in its policy statement that it is “closely monitoring” developments in global economies. Reversing course again on Thursday, the markets closed up in the wake of favorable earnings and on word of a proposed five percent production cut from Saudi Arabia. The rally continued Friday with Blue Chip brands leading the way. Also adding to the gains, manufacturing in the Midwestern region stepped up this month. The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index registered a reading of 55.6 in January, up from December’s reading of 42.9 and well beyond an expected score of 45.

After the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday on Monday, U.S. stocks enjoyed their first week of gains in a month. The markets closed Tuesday mixed, as the Dow’s turbulent session ended with gains. The S&P 500 ticked up slightly while the NASDAQ shed some points. Shares rose in Asia and Europe on Tuesday after China released economic growth figures and Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, climbed. In the United States, however, oil prices and energy shares retreated, leaving the broader market with only minuscule gains after a morning rally. Mid-week, the markets closed well into red territory after a new low in crude oil. Oil’s plunge, now in its 19th month, largely has been driven by oversupply during a production boom in the United States. Also, Economic data released Wednesday showed a slight decrease in the Consumer Price Index; however, all items less food and energy rose 0.1% in December, its smallest increase since August. Reports also showed an unexpected drop in housing starts in December. The index reversed course on Thursday, as markets were positive after a rebound in crude oil prices. Additionally, Labor Department figures showed 293,000 initial jobless claims for last week. Friday’s rally pushed the markets higher for the week.

The indices closed mixed on Monday with late day trading leading the Dow and S&P 500 into the green zone. The NASDAQ shed some points, and Small-Cap stocks briefly fell into a bear market. On Tuesday, a late afternoon rally left indices positive for the day, with NASDAQ trading leading the advance. Crude oil briefly fell below $30 a barrel; however, West Texas Intermediate crude managed to settle at $30.79 a barrel. U.S. stocks tumbled on Wednesday to their lowest close since September, and oil prices gave up an early rally on mounting worries about the global economy. In economic reports, the Fed’s Beige Book reported growth in consumer and housing sectors. Expansion in manufacturing, agriculture and energy sectors continued to lag in recent months. Trading closed in green territory on Thursday as Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims increased to 284,000 last week. Unfortunately, indices closed the session well into the red zone on Friday with stocks trading into territory not seen since August. West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 5.7% to settle at $29.14 a barrel.

A sharp selloff in China’s market resulted in a rocky trading day for the U.S. markets. Most blue chip stocks retreated, and Energy stocks traded lower on a downswing in crude oil prices. West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 0.8%, settling at $36.76 a barrel. Trading on Tuesday closed with gains, with Consumer Staples and Telecommunication stocks helping the tepid recovery from the sharp selloff that started the year. The rally was short-lived as the markets closed Wednesday in the red zone, brought down by Energy stocks. Additionally, Energy Information Administration showed an unexpected increase of 2.6 million barrels in crude inventories in the past week. Analysts were forecasting a decline in reserves. National Association of Realtors data showed a 0.9% decrease in November for pending home sales. Stocks continued to tumble Thursday following Labor Department data which showed that initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 277,000 last week. The decline seemed to level out on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an addition of 292,000 jobs in December. Looking elsewhere, manufacturing levels made a fractional retreat in December. The Institute for Supply Management’s survey slipped to 48.2 from November’s reading of 48.6.

The markets started the week on a positive note with Energy and Telecom stocks posting slight gains ahead of the December Federal Reserve meeting. The good news continued Tuesday as Energy stocks stepped up on a rebound in crude oil. Consumer prices held steady in November, as the Consumer Price Index was unchanged last month after climbing 0.2% in October. Discounting food and energy prices, the CPI jumped up 0.2% in November. The week’s rally continued on Wednesday when stocks stepped up on news from the December Federal Reserve meeting where policymakers boosted the benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to between 0.25% and 0.50%. On another note, Energy stocks traded lower on a dip in crude oil. The markets closed trading at session low levels on Thursday. Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims decreased by 11,000 to 271,000 last week, while continuing claims fell by 7,000 to 2.238 million. The slip continued on Friday when the market closed at session lows. Stocks declined amid another downswing in oil. 

Energy stocks weighed on the markets Monday as crude oil futures settled at their lowest level in nearly seven years. The decline continued Tuesday with brands in the Materials and Industrials sectors trading lower in the wake of falling oil prices. The lower oil prices also weighed on the global markets. Technology stocks took their turn bringing the markets lower mid-week, while crude oil continued to slip. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude-oil inventories fell last week but distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, grew more than expected. On Thursday, the markets reversed course as the Labor Department showed a jump in initial jobless claims. First time claims for unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to 282,000 last week. Continuing claims increased by 82,000 to 2.243 million in the last week of November. Unfortunately a rally was thwarted on Friday as Energy stocks continued to trade lower. Market action this week marked the weakest Dow and NASDAQ performance in a month and the worst week for the S&P 500 since August.

Indices were down on Monday but closed out the month of November with gains. Energy and Utilities stocks posted gains, while Healthcare and Consumer Staples weighed on the market. Indices moved into positive territory on Tuesday amid a variety of economic news. The ISM Manufacturing Index fell from 50.1 to 48.6. Both new orders and production dropped below 50. The markets volleyed back to the negative side midweek as a result of a dip in crude oil prices and other economic news. Crude oil fell below the $40 level for the first time in three months. Prices slipped following news that domestic reserves increased for the tenth straight week. On another note, comments from the Federal Reserve’s “Beige Book” report, which covered activity from October through mid-November, showed a modest to moderate rate of expansion in most districts. Stocks traded well into the red on Thursday, despite crude oil’s gain of 2.9% for the day. Friday’s news that November nonfarm payrolls came in 5.5% higher than consensus estimates, drove the market to its biggest gain since early September. The news may have also opened the way for the Federal Reserve to consider raising interest rates later this month.