The Weekly Update Week of July 22nd, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks were under pressure last week as investors appeared to rotate out of mega-cap tech stocks and into areas that may benefit from lower interest rates. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 1.97 percent, while Nasdaq Composite Index declined 3.65 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average bucked the downward trend, up 0.72 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slid 1.48 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. Dow Leads Again The week began very differently than ..read more

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The Weekly Update Week of July 15th, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks advanced last week as market leadership shifted amid fresh inflation data and quarterly corporate reports starting to roll in. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index advanced 0.87 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up 1.59 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index, which has led all year, rose 0.25 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, rallied 1.62 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. Dow Breaks 40,000 (Again) Mega-cap tech led modest g ..read more

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The Weekly Update Week of July 8th, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks steadily advanced over the holiday week thanks to strength in mega-cap tech issues and encouraging jobs data. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.95 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 3.50 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up a modest 0.66 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, rose 2.30 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. Nasdaq, S&P Extend Runs ADP’s employment report on Wednesday showed private-sector employers added 1 ..read more

The Weekly Update Week of July 1st, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks finished the last week of June and Q2 mixed as investors digested a fresh round of economic data. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.08%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average also dipped 0.08 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.24 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index tracks developed overseas stock markets and rose 0.27 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. Nasdaq Regains Lead Last week opened with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq heading lower, while the Dow rallied on momentum from t ..read more

The Weekly Update Week of June 24th, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks edged higher over the four trading days last week, with the three major averages taking turns leading based on various economic and artificial intelligence (AI) news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.45 percent–its best week since May–while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 0.61 percent. The Nasdaq Composite, which has led all year, ended flat. The MSCI EAFE Index, tracking developed overseas stock markets, rose 0.94 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. Mixed Economic News All thr ..read more

The Weekly Update Week of June 17th, 2024 By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF® Stocks notched a solid gain last week, driven by the Fed’s decision, May’s inflation report, and Apple’s AI-related news. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.58 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite picked up 3.24 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has lagged most of the year, slid 0.54 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, fell 1.44 percent for the week through Thursday’s close. S&P 500, Nasdaq Lead; Dow Lags Market leadership took a familiar form. Th ..read more