Weekly Insight | March 22, 2023
Equity Markets Shrug Off Extraordinary Bond Market Volatility
The S&P 500 was up 1.2% on the week as strength in large cap technology overcame weakness in smaller cyclical stocks.
Equity Markets Shrug Off Extraordinary Bond Market Volatility
The S&P 500 was up 1.2% on the week as strength in large cap technology overcame weakness in smaller cyclical stocks.
Bank Term Lending Program
Investor focus this week has been on actions taken by regulatory authorities to assure safety of deposits at U.S. banks. On Sunday, regulators put into place a new Bank Term Lending Program that provides an additional safety net under all U.S.
Bond Market now Favors a 50 Basis Point Hike after Powell Opens the Door
The S&P 500 was volatile on the week but managed to gain 1.1% amid a fair amount of dispersion under the surface.
The second estimate of fourth quarter GDP was front and center this week as a slew of economic data releases took place. The revised result was weaker than expected with a reading of 2.7% compared to an expectation of 2.9%.
Equities Fall as Rising Yields Finally Take a Toll
The S&P 500 was down 3.8% on the week. Small caps fared slightly better and the NASDAQ slightly worse.
This past week saw the release of several economic reports geared toward the consumer. On Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January.
Equities Whipsaw Around Conflicting Economic Data and Powell Comments
The S&P 500 was flat on the week but showed noticeable volatility intraday. A slight uptick in NASDAQ- related names was offset by slight weakness in value equities.
U.S. equity markets as measured by the MSCI USA Index gained 0.6% this week finishing out January up 5.5%. This past month bond markets climbed 3.1% as interest rates continued to drop across the yield curve.
The NASDAQ Index Surges to Best Calendar Start Since 2000
Positive equity momentum continued this week as the S&P 500 gained 2.2%. Despite yields moving higher, the NASDAQ fared even better with a 3.3% advance, which is a little bit of a character change.
Equities continued to rise last week as virtually all major market indices moved higher. For domestic markets, small-cap stocks led the way as the Russell 2000 Index returned 1.8%. Large-cap and mid-cap stocks also moved higher with weekly returns of 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively.