MARKET BLOG

We continue to receive many questions about stock and economic performance during election years, which we’ve tackled in our recent blogs, “Another Look at Election Years” and ”A Closer Look at Election Years.” Continue reading →

Daily Insights

Equities grind higher. The S&P 500 Index is tracking toward another weekly gain, following last week’s more than 3% advance. We see technical support for the S&P 500 at the 50-day moving average (about 4% below current levels) as well as the 3030 level, but the technicals of other key markets need watching as well. Continue reading →

Economic Blog

Consumer inflationary pressures grew at a moderate rate in January 2020.

The core Consumer Price Index (CPI), which excludes food and energy, rose 2.3% year over year last month, near the fastest pace of this economic cycle and in line with recent months. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, core CPI growth has been steady, thanks to firm U.S. demand and relatively benign producer price and wage growth. Continue reading →

Daily Insights

Stocks fall after jump in coronavirus cases. China’s Hubei province where the virus outbreak originated reported 15,000 new cases overnight after revising its diagnostic method for reporting data to include “clinically diagnosed” cases — a quicker method that casts a wider net. Continue reading →

A late month selloff in January saw the S&P 500 Index close marginally lower for the month. But stocks have taken off in February, with the S&P 500 up nearly 4% this month, as US economic data remains strong and fears over the worst-case scenarios for the coronavirus appear overblown. Continue reading →

Daily Insights

Lowest number of new coronavirus reported. Futures are higher this morning, as on Wednesday China reported the lowest number of coronavirus cases since late January. Most scientists still expect the outbreak to peak sometime this month. Continue reading →

Economic Blog

The financial media returned to a favorite topic in the last week, yield curve inversion, but we caution against getting caught up in the building frenzy. Continue reading →

Daily Insights

Futures point to higher open. Signs that the spread of the deadly coronavirus may be slowing have markets refocusing on favorable U.S. economic fundamentals and a generally positive earnings season. S&P 500 Index futures are pointing to a higher open following gains in Asia overnight and in Europe at midday. Continue reading →

Daily Insights

Stocks edge lower as coronavirus remains in focus. After the biggest weekly gain for the S&P 500 Index in eight months, the major averages are starting this week with modest losses. Investors remain squarely focused on the future path of the coronavirus outbreak. Markets appear to be pricing in a fairly optimistic containment scenario—let’s hope they’re right. European markets are lower in midday trading overseas, while Asian markets ended mixed—China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% while Japan’s Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng each lost about one half percent. Continue reading →

Economic Blog

U.S. hiring came in stronger than expected in January, rebounding from a disappointing December print.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by 225,000 in January, far surpassing Bloomberg’s consensus estimates for a 165,000 gain, according to the jobs report released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number may help alleviate some investor unease over December’s somewhat weak reading. Continue reading →