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Weekly Economic Commentary | February 19, 2019
2019 has been a busy year so far. The United States has weathered a 35-day government shutdown, global data have deteriorated further, trade headlines continue to dominate the news, and the Federal Reserve (Fed) has made a significant U-turn in monetary policy plans, all on top of the sharp market selloff in late 2018.
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Weekly Market Commentary | February 19, 2019
The rally continues, as the S&P 500 Index gained for the seventh week out of the past eight, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Russell 2000 Index, and Nasdaq all closed higher for the eighth consecutive week. Sparking the rally this week were Washington striking a deal to avoid another government shutdown and hopes that…
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Should Investors Love a Great Start to 2019?
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! With the S&P 500 Index up 9.8% for the year as of yesterday, this is its best start up to this point since 1991. So should investors love to see this much green this early in the year, or should they be leery they might be heartbroken down the road?
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The Year of the Pig Could Have Bulls Smiling
“Bulls make money, bears make money, and pigs get slaughtered.” Old Wall Street saying.
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Bund Yields Hover Around Negative
Germany’s benchmark bund yield is on the cusp of negative territory, a symptom of increased appetite for government debt that could eventually weigh on U.S. rates. The 10-year bund yield, which closed at 0.09% (9 basis points, or bps) February 8, could go negative for the first time since late 2016 as Europe’s biggest economy…
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A Steep Drop in Confidence
Four months ago, the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index reached an 18-year high. Since then, consumer sentiment has deteriorated rapidly, leading some investors to wonder if a drop in confidence could eventually lead to a downturn.