Weekly Update

The Weekly Update

Week of August 7, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Another week of economic performance brought more news that the markets continue their bullish streak. After eight consecutive record-high closings, the Dow rose above 22,000 for the first time ever and finished the week up 1.20%. The S&P 500 was up 0.19% for the week, and the NASDAQ slightly fell by 0.36%. Meanwhile, the MSCI EAFE closed with a 0.82% increase.

The positive news continued with other upbeat reports. Manufacturing and employment each posted impressive numbers, suggesting a favorable Q3 start. And investors are looking ahead to possible Fed action on unwinding its balance sheet and bumping interest rates up again in December.

Here are key market developments that emerged last week:

Manufacturing Is On the Rise
Manufacturing is gaining speed as a key economic factor …

AMERICA’S TOP MILLENNIAL ADVISORS

As we continue to serve the next generation of investor, our Vice President Jonathon Much, is honored to be recognized by Forbes.

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The Weekly Update

Week of July 31, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Last week, markets marched ahead within a busy reporting week. The Dow rose 1.16% to close Friday on another new high. The S&P 500 notched a record high during the week, despite closing the week slightly down 0.02%. Meanwhile, the NASDAQ slipped 0.20%, and the MSCI EAFE rose 0.21%.

Generally strong corporate earnings reports helped markets continue to hit highs. The majority of companies that have posted Q2 earnings so far have beaten their estimates. Those earnings performances helped push financials, materials, and energy stocks up by over 1% early in the week. Health care companies also posted substantial earnings as S&P 500 health care stocks have risen 16% this year. Health insurer stocks have also increased by 22%.

Additionally, Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP), consumer confidence, exports, …

FA’s 2017 Annual RIA Ranking

CTS is honored to be mentioned in the July edition of Financial Advisor Magazine’s “RIA Survey & Ranking 2017” – tens of thousands of RIA’s nationwide were surveyed and narrowed down to a list of less than 700.

“CTS is very pleased to be recognized in this ranking, and is proud to be included among a list of respected Registered Investment Advisors from across the United States,” says Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®.

The Weekly Update

Week of July 24, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Last week, the Dow, S&P 500, and NASDAQ again hit record highs. The midweek peaks fell by Friday, though market performance remained strong. By week’s end, the Dow dropped 0.27%, and the S&P 500 and NASDAQ dipped on Friday but closed up 0.54% and 1.19%, respectively. The MSCI EAFE finished with a 0.46% increase.

Corporate Earnings Drive Growth

Analysts noted that stocks were particularly “strong” last week due to generally robust Q2 corporate earnings reports. With roughly 20% of S&P 500 companies reporting, corporate earnings should remain solid through the quarter. So far, 73% of reporting companies beat their estimated earnings per share, and 77% have higher-than-expected sales against a 5-year average.

Weakened Dollar Continues

The dollar continued its downward trend, dropping 1.3% during the week. So far, our …

The Weekly Update

Week of June 17, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Last Friday, stocks closed at record highs. The S&P 500 rose 1.41% and the Dow climbed 1.04%—both closing at new peaks. The NASDAQ reported a 2.58% gain and the MSCI EAFE posted a 2.38% increase. Despite continuing headlines from Washington, the markets remain productive and strong. New Q2 numbers also rolled in last week, giving us a clearer picture of what happened from April through June.

Q2 Coming Into Focus

Over the second quarter, the S&P 500 rose 2.57%, the Dow gained 3.32%, and the NASDAQ jumped 3.87%. Meanwhile, the MSCI EAFE improved by 5.0%. Analysts are now predicting that Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow to 2.4%—stronger than Q1’s soft 1.4% increase.

While we wait for more numbers and reports, here are some highlights so far:

…

The Weekly Update

Week of July 10, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

As the country celebrated the Fourth of July last week, the markets experienced some volatility, though they finished a bit flat overall. The Dow fell then rose to close the week up 0.30%. The S&P 500 climbed a modest 0.07% for the week, and the NASDAQ finished the week up 0.21%. The MSCI EAFE fell 0.48%.

Internationally, European markets posted soft gains on Friday, though emerging markets fell for a second-straight week. Further, gold dropped to a 5-month low, while bond yields rose globally on weakening bond markets. In addition, world leaders met last week at the G20 Global Summit and issued a statement supporting open markets. They agreed to fight unfair trade practices, such as countries blocking or heavily taxing imports to protect domestic industries.

A …

The Weekly Update

Week of July 3, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

As Q2 ended, markets hit a six-week volatility high. While the tech sector declined during the week, consumer discretionary and industrial sectors drove stocks higher on Friday. On Friday, the tech-heavy NASDAQ slumped 1.99%. The S&P fell 0.61% and the DOW dropped 0.21%. Globally, the MSCI EAFE declined 0.32%, and European markets and most of the Asian markets finished the week down.

The Fed reported during the week that the largest U.S. banks passed the stress test evaluating their financial soundness. The test results indicate that banks have the capital structures to withstand difficult economic times. In addition, the results gave banks a green light to pay shareholders dividends and engage in share buybacks.

Other Market News

• Q1 Gross Domestic Product Numbers Go …
  

The Weekly Update

Week of June 26, 2017

By Christopher T. Much, CFP®, AIF®

Last week, markets kept relatively quiet despite the continuing drop in oil prices. The S&P 500 rose by 0.21%, the Dow increased by 0.05%, and the NASDAQ—the week’s best performer—jumped 1.84%. Internationally, the MSCI EAFE fell by 0.20%. Asian markets remained relatively mixed while European markets were down modestly.

A global glut of oil has led to 5-straight weeks of price declines. OPEC’s attempts to curb oil production have not yet played out as expected, as prices are down roughly 20% for the year. Though oil rose slightly on Friday due to a weaker U.S. dollar, oil markets closed the week at a 10-month low. Still, oil stocks and energy companies in general comprise less than 6% of stocks in the S&P 500 on …

The Weekly Update

Week of June 19, 2017

By Christopher Much, CFP®, AIF®

Markets remained mixed last week as the Dow closed at another record high, while the NASDAQ fell and the S&P 500 held steady. By Friday, the Dow gained 0.52%, the NASDAQ fell -0.92%, and the S&P 500 gained a slight 0.05%. Meanwhile, the MSCI EAFE remained virtually unchanged from last week, down only -0.002%.

In other markets, oil closed at $44.74 a barrel, down 2.4% on the week—its fourth week of declines. Overall, European equity markets remained steady while most Asian markets recorded modest gains at week’s end.

The Fed Increases Interest Rates

As expected, the Fed announced last week that it raised the short-term interest rate target by 25 basis points to a range between 1.00 and 1.25%. This was the third interest rate hike …