Stocks Meander Through Holiday-Shortened Week.

US: S&P 500 Index -0.1%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq +0.2%
Europe: STOXX Europe 600 +0.8%, German DAX +1.9% France CAC 40 +1.4%, U.K. FTSE 100 +0.5%
Asia: Japan Nikkei +1.0%, China Shanghai Composite +1.9% Korea KOSPI -0.9%
Rates/Commodities: 10-Year Treasury yield +7 basis points to 2.56%, WTI crude oil +0.8%, COMEX gold: +0.0%

Major U.S. indexes continue to hover near all-time highs, but little changed this week amid sustained weakness in healthcare stocks and as investors shrugged off indications that a U.S.-China trade deal may soon come to fruition.

Continue reading →

We’ve talked a lot about green shoots in the U.S. economy recently.

A slew of recent data is pointing to a rebound in growth from a disappointing first quarter hampered by global headwinds. This week we gathered more clues on a potential recovery from an uptick in small business sentiment in the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Beige Book.

Continue reading →

The U.S. inflation narrative has flipped, which has caused some bond-market angst recently.

Deteriorating global conditions have shifted the economic landscape and fueled concerns that inflationary pressures could be too low, hinting to an impending U.S. economic slowdown. The 10-year Treasury yield slid to a 15-month low in March as bond investors priced weakening inflation into rates, briefly inverting the yield curve (short-term rates moving higher than longer-term rates).

Continue reading →

We appreciate the opportunity to exchange information and ideas with LPL advisors on social media. Here are some recent shares from March, when LPL advisors focused on market trends and Outlook 2019 guidance:

Continue reading →

Late-Week Gains Gush U.S. Equities Into Positive Territory

US: S&P 500 Index +0.5%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.6%
Europe: STOXX Europe 600 -0.18%, German DAX -0.1% France CAC 40 +0.5%, U.K. FTSE 100 -0.4%
Asia: Japan Nikkei +0.3%, China Shanghai Composite -1.8% Korea KOSPI +1/1%
Rates/Commodities: 10-Year Treasury yield +7 basis points to 2.56%, WTI crude oil +0.8%, COMEX gold: +0.0%

U.S. stocks traded in a tight range this week before a string of bank earnings on Friday boosted the S&P 500 Index comfortably into positive territory. Continue reading →