Category: Commentary

Stocks gain after oil whipsaws but rises, investors ‘like’ Facebook. Wall Street got off to a rocky start after conflicting reports of an OPEC production cut rattled markets, but indexes managed to sustain afternoon momentum to close higher. WTI crude … Continue reading →

Today is the final trading day of January, a month no one will forget. As of last night, the S&P 500 in January was down 7.4%, which would be the worst monthly return since May 2010. This is also the … Continue reading →

After dropping 39% and 37% in 2014 and 2015, respectively, crude oil has again dropped in early 2016. The volatility in the oil market has moved across other assets and made for volatile global equity markets as well. Historically, oil … Continue reading →

Fed sinks stocks as oil fails to buoy markets. Indexes finished near session lows after the Federal Reserve Bank’s (Fed) policy statement, released after its two-day meeting concluded Wednesday afternoon, failed to appease investors, though the more interest rate sensitive … Continue reading →

As was expected, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) policymaking arm, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep rates unchanged at the conclusion of its two-day meeting. With no press conference from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and no new set … Continue reading →

You will begin to hear a lot about the January Barometer. This indicator says, “As goes January, goes the year.” So, if the S&P 500 is positive in January, the rest of the year will likely be green. If January … Continue reading →

Stocks rise on energy prices, corporate earnings. Stocks posted solid gains on Tuesday, led by a 5.5% increase in WTI crude oil prices and upbeat earnings from Dow components 3M, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble. Consumer confidence data, … Continue reading →

The Federal Reserve (Fed) begins its first policy meeting of 2016 today, after initiating the first rate hike cycle in 11 years on December 16, 2015, by raising its fed funds target range by 0.25%. Meanwhile, market participants are looking … Continue reading →

Oil’s momentum sputters, stock rally falters. WTI crude oil continues to dictate market movements as a reversal in crude’s recent rally–down 7.6%–scared away would-be buyers, pressuring indexes throughout the session. All 10 sectors finished lower, with telecom outperforming, off 0.3%. … Continue reading →

The Super Bowl indicator claims that the Dow Jones Industrials Average (DJIA) goes up for the year when the Super Bowl winner comes from the original National Football League, but when an original American Football League team wins, the DJIA … Continue reading →