Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 5/26/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA As investors awaited news from the debt ceiling negotiations, markets continued to ebb and flow.  The S&P 500 continued to trade range-bound, oscillating between 4100 and 4200.  Fed rhetoric continued...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 5/19/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors were treated to a week of gains for US indices, while US Treasuries fell significantly across the curve. Early in the week, there was cautious optimism around debt ceiling negotiations as both...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 5/12/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity and fixed-income markets continued to trade in a tight range. 4100 proved to be support for the S&P 500, while the US 10-year note yield oscillated around 3.46%. Cyclical issues were under...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 5/5/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors were treated with an extremely busy start to May. Central bank decisions on monetary policies and more first-quarter earnings were front and center, while there was a full slate of economic data...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 4/28/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets ended the month of April with slight gains for the large-cap indices and small losses for the small-caps. Q1 earnings continued to be in focus as some of the most influential companies posted...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 4/21/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equities traded sideways throughout the week as investors contemplated Q1 earnings reports, more Fed rhetoric, and weakening economic data. International markets were also off for the week, with...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 4/14/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Trade was quiet this week as investors awaited inflation data and the start of first-quarter corporate earnings.  Inflation data was mixed but showed another month of moderating prices.  The reported...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 4/7/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week saw low volumes in trading, where countercyclical sectors and US Treasuries were favored.  The week started with the announcement that OPEC + would cut oil production by 1.16...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 3/31/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global equity markets ended the first quarter with impressive gains as concerns surrounding the banking system eased.  A two-day congressional hearing on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank catalyzed the...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 3/24/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global markets sighed in relief with the announcement that the Swiss National Bank had brokered a deal, combining Credit Suisse with UBS. Investors had been worried that troubles within Credit Suisse...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 3/17/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets continued to be erratic as investors assessed the health of the global banking system. The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were met with multiple responses from the...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 3/10/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Wall Street endured a difficult week with volatile fluctuations in equity and fixed-income markets. Fed President J Powell’s testimony in front of congress kicked off the market’s chaotic week when he...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 3/3/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets bounced on oversold conditions and their ability to hold key technical levels this week.  The S&P 500 broke its 50-day moving average (3980) and then tested the 200-day moving average...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 2/24/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was another tough week on Wall Street as US equity markets continued to retreat alongside a sustained selloff in the US debt markets. The calendar was again stacked with economic data showing an...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 2/17/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets finished the week mixed, as economic data reported during the week indicated that inflation remains elevated.  Fed rhetoric was prevalent and had a more hawkish tilt.  Cleveland Fed...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 2/10/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Wall Street pulled in its horns last week as investors sensed the market was overbought. Concerns about the outlook for corporate earnings and historically high valuations tempered buyers’ enthusiasm for...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 2/3/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors were hit with a full dose of market-moving events and data throughout the week. The Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank increased their respective policy rates. The Fed...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 1/27/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Momentum trade pushed US equity markets higher and forced shorts to cover and those sitting in cash to move off the sidelines for fear of missing out on further gains. Fourth quarter earnings continued to...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 1/20/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Inflation data showed prices easing in the US and Europe while Japanese CPI hit a level not seen since the 1980s.  The downtrend in US producer prices, coupled with weaker-than-expected US retail sales...

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – 1/13/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity markets continued to rally in the second week of January as investors considered the idea of a Fed-orchestrated soft landing. An inline December CPI showed consumer prices falling on the headline...