Category Archives: Economy/Stock Market

The week began with a tumble in oil prices and more signs of economic weakness in China, which resulted in modest losses for most of the trading session. However, stocks pushed higher in the last hour of trading to close the day nearly flat. U.S. and European stock indices fell sharply on Tuesday, and buyers sought safe-haven government bonds after another tumble in oil prices. Additionally, Energy stocks retreated after reporting less-than-optimum earnings details. Wednesday proved to be another day saved by a late session rally. The Dow staged a rebound from early low levels to close higher. The S&P 500 landed in the green while the NASDAQ shed some points. The Institute for Supply Management showed a downtick to 53.5 in January from 55.8 in December, marking the slowest pace for services industry activity since February 2014. Stocks climbed on Thursday despite volatile trading. Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims increased by 8,000 to 285,000 last week, while continuing claims decreased by 18,000 to 2.255 million. Non-farm business productivity slipped 3% in the fourth quarter of 2015, versus a 2.1% uptick in the third quarter. Technology stocks led the way down on Friday as stocks traded lower on a variety of economic news. The economy added fewer jobs than expected in January. Payrolls increased by 151,000 versus an anticipated addition of 190,000, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.9%.

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 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.

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.

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.