Last week, stocks gave back much of the previous two weeks’ gains as some surprisingly strong economic data dampened hopes that the Federal Reserve might soon be able to curb its program of raising interest rates to cool inflation. The S&P 500 Index recorded its worst return in five weeks, while the small-cap Russell 2000 Index endured its worst week since late September.
Global Equities marched 7.76% higher in November following October’s 6.03% rally. The MSCI All-Country World Index is now up 14.26% in 2022’s final quarter, but still down 15.02% on the year. Stock prices soared on the final trading day in November after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a speech to the Brookings Institute that the pace of interest rate hikes will likely slow as soon as its December meeting.
Last week the major U.S. equity indexes ended higher, buoyed by the possibility that the Federal Reserve may slow the pace of its interest rate increases. Growth stocks outperformed their value counterparts in the S&P 500 Index, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index posted solid gains. However, the “traditional economy” Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) took a bit of a breather and ended modestly higher.
Global Equities rallied 6.03% in October following September’s worst monthly showing since the Coronavirus pandemic shook global markets in March 2020. Still, the MSCI All-Country World Index remains in bear market territory and is down 21.14% on the year – marking its third-worst 10-month start to a year since the 2008 financial crisis and the 2001 dot-com collapse. In the U.S., equity indexes finished higher following a GDP report that came in above expectations growing 2.6% in the third quarter.
Last week stocks fell after the Federal Reserve dashed market hopes for an impending pivot in monetary policy in the form of a pause or slower pace of rate hikes. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was hit particularly hard as growth stocks declined more than value companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average held up much better, extending its relative outperformance from October.
Last Week In ReviewLast week stocks were higher but offered widely divergent returns for the week as investors reacted to a busy calendar of third-quarter earnings reports. Energy and other industrial economy stocks handily outperformed growth shares, with the latter...
Last week equities recorded substantial gains as investors appeared to react to some prominent earnings reports and hints that the Federal Reserve might moderate its pace of interest rate hikes. The S&P 500 Index enjoyed its best weekly gain in nearly four months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average marked its third consecutive week of gains. Energy shares outperformed within the S&P 500 as oil prices proved resilient despite announcing a U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve release. The small real estate sector lagged. Trading remained active and volatile due to the expiration of USD 2 trillion in options contracts on Friday.
Last week, most major indexes were lower as third-quarter earnings reporting season began in earnest, and investors weighed inflation data and their implications for Federal Reserve policy. By the end of the week, the S&P 500 Index had surrendered nearly half of its gains since its March 2020 bottom. Within the index, the typically defensive healthcare and consumer staples sectors outperformed. In contrast, consumer discretionary and communication services shares lagged, dragged lower by heavily weighted Amazon.com, Tesla, and Meta Platforms (parent of Facebook). Likewise, slower-growing value stocks handily outperformed their growth counterparts.
Last week stocks ended higher for the first time in four weeks. Still, they surrendered most of their gains, as some data suggested that the economy was not slowing enough to satisfy Federal Reserve policymakers. The energy sector was the standout performer in the S&P 500 Index as oil prices surged following a decision by major exporters to cut global production. Volumes were muted as investors awaited the start of the earnings season, and some observed the Yom Kippur holiday.
• Global Equities fell 9.34% in September in their worst month since the Coronavirus pandemic shook global markets in March 2020 and worst September return since the 2008 global financial crisis. The MSCI All Country World Index sank to a new 2022 low, dropping 6.82% in Q3, marking the first time the global index posted three consecutive quarterly losses since 2009. Year-to-date the index is down 25.63% in its worst nine-month start since its inception in 2001.
Last week was another choppy week as turmoil in UK financial markets and signs that the Federal Reserve still has some way to go in its efforts to temper inflation sent stocks to their third consecutive weekly decline. At the same time, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note briefly breached 4% for the first time since 2008. The S&P 500 Index broke below its mid-June lows and fell back to November 2020 levels. The week closed out a third consecutive quarter of declines for the index for the first time since 2009.
Last week stocks recorded a second week of pronounced losses after Federal Reserve policymakers revealed that they expected official short-term interest rates to continue going sharply higher over the next several months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 400 Midcap Index fell to new intraday lows in late 2020, while the S&P 500 Index, small-cap Russell 2000 Index and Nasdaq Composite managed to stay slightly above their bottoms in mid-June 2022.