LPL-A Surprising End to a Perplexing Quarter
We’ve finally closed the book on a perplexing first quarter. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3.2% last quarter, as shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the best first-quarter gain since 2015. That figure was also above the highest Bloomberg consensus estimate for growth, an appropriate end to a quarter full of surprises. However, […]
John Hancock: Weekly Market Recap Week Ended April 26th
Recovery story The market’s climb above its previous record high set last September is remarkable in part because of the depths that stocks sank to just four months ago. Since a recent low on December 24, the S&P 500 had climbed nearly 25% through Friday’s market close. Earnings lift While quarterly profits are expected to […]
LPL: Digging Out Of A Soft Patch
Leading data released recently have confirmed the U.S. economy could be digging out of its soft patch. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased 3.1% year over year in March. Year-over-year LEI growth accelerated, breaking a five-month streak of slowing that coincided with disappointing signs […]
Nuveen: Global Investment Committee Outlook: 2Q 2019 Update
OVERVIEW Risk-on, but turning more defensive Nuveen’s 2019 Outlook, published in early December, told investors to expect a tougher climb. Since then, we’ve experienced a selloff in stocks and other risk assets followed by a strong recovery in the first quarter. That might have been even a tougher climb than we envisioned, but the sort […]
John Hancock: Weekly Market Recap Week Ended April 19th
Retail revival After declining in February, a gauge of U.S. retail sales climbed 1.6% in March, posting its biggest monthly gain since September 2017. The gain was broad, with sales rising for nearly every retail store category. Calming trend Stock market volatility has declined to its lowest level in six months, based on a […]
LPL: Sectors to Watch This Earnings Season
Sectors to Watch This Earnings Season Posted by lplresearch First quarter earnings season begins this week with some big banks reporting on Friday. While we think profit growth will finish around flat overall, an improving macro backdrop points to better growth ahead. We previewed the earnings season in this week’s Weekly Market Commentary, highlighting key […]
Charles Schwab: Stocks vs. Bonds…Who’s Right?
Key Points “Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.” ― Donatella Versace Investor conflict Conflicting opinions are what makes markets work—you believe the price of a stock is going higher, while we think it’s not, we sell to you—but there appears to be a fairly large difference in opinion this year between stock and […]
John Hancock: Weekly Market Recap Week Ended April 12th
Fed’s sweet spot The U.S. Federal Reserve may keep interest rates unchanged through the rest of this year, although it’s prepared to consider a further increase or perhaps a rate cut if economic conditions significantly shift in coming months. That’s the takeaway that many economists had on Wednesday after reviewing minutes released from the […]
Federated: March Jobs Rebound Erases Aberrant February
March jobs rebound erases aberrant February After all the concern, Q1 ended up having a solid average monthly gain of 180,000 jobs. BOTTOM LINE The Labor Department reported this morning that nonfarm payrolls grew by a stronger-than-expected 196,000 jobs in March, compared with consensus expectations for an increase of 177,000 and Federated’s estimate of 183,000. […]
LPL: What Happens When January, February, and March Are All Higher?
What a start to 2019! The S&P 500 Index had its best first quarter since 1998—gaining 13.1%. Taking a deeper look at the data reveals another rare occurrence: The S&P 500 was higher each of the first three months of the year for the first time since 2013. “You may not think so, but when […]