Monthly Archives: January 2023

The Weekly Update

Week of January 30th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks added to their early 2023 gains amid a busy stream of mixed corporate earnings results and conflicting economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.81%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 2.47%. The Nasdaq Composite index rose 4.32% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, increased by 1.14%.

Stocks Advance
With the backdrop of earnings reports and conflicting economic data, stocks climbed higher on cooling inflation, continued economic resilience, and fourth-quarter corporate earnings results that, while underwhelming, did not appear as bad as many had feared.

There was enough new economic data to support both the “recession is coming” and the “soft landing” camps. It was corporate results and continued labor market strength, along with a solid, if weakening, fourth-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth number, however, that raised investors’ hopes that …

The Weekly Update

Week of January 23rd, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks showed mixed results last week as recession fears resurfaced in response to weak economic data and a tepid start to a new corporate earnings season.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded 2.70%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 declined 0.66%. But the Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.55% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, lost 0.50%.

Mixed Economic Data
Stocks weakened to start the week amid discouraging corporate earnings and troubling economic data. Disappointing retail sales and manufacturing reports sparked concerns that the Fed may have gone too far in hiking rates, while a drop in initial jobless claims diminished chances of a near-term pause in rate hikes. Welcome news from two big technology names on Friday powered a strong rally that mixed significant indices.

The start of the earnings season was a drag …

The Weekly Update

Week of January 17th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Stocks rallied last week thanks to fresh confirmation of inflation’s cooling trend and growing optimism that an inflation slowdown may provide the Fed with space to ease up on future rate hikes.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.00%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 2.67%. The Nasdaq Composite index surged 4.82% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, jumped 3.32%.

Improving Sentiment
Investor sentiment came into the new year weighed down by recession fears and concerns that Fed rate hikes may “go higher for longer.” Last week a different narrative emerged. Sustained declines in inflation, a rate hike cycle nearing an end, and a resilient economy that may avoid recession resulted in a broad-based rally.

Moderating inflation was evident in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Thursday, which, in combination with …

The Weekly Update

Week of January 9th, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

A strong Friday rally triggered by fresh signs of moderating inflation pushed stocks into positive territory to begin the new year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.46%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 1.45%. The Nasdaq Composite index gained 0.98%. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, added 0.90%.

Stocks Rally
A new year did little to change the market’s overall tenor as trading remained choppy. The first two trading sessions of a holiday-shortened week saw major averages swing wildly between gains and losses as investors balanced an improving outlook on inflation against concerns of faltering economic growth. Mega-cap technology and other high-growth names endured the brunt of the selling pressure.

Stocks took a decisive turn lower Thursday on strong private payroll growth and declining jobless claims, which heightened fears that the Fed would need to …

The Weekly Update

Week of January 3rd, 2023
By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

In a holiday-shortened week, erratic trading left stocks marginally down for the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.17%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.14%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.30%. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, edged 0.61% higher.

Stocks End Lower
Steps by China to move past its zero-Covid policies triggered concerns that its economic reopening might aggravate inflation pressures, sending stocks lower and bond yields higher to begin the week. Technology stocks saw the most significant hit.

With dimming prospects of a Santa Claus rally (the historical tendency of stocks to rise in the final trading days of the year and the first two days of the new year), stocks rebounded strongly on Thursday to erase the losses of the previous two days. However, stocks again turned lower to end the …