Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/22/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets sold off in tandem with the US Treasury market as the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee meeting concluded with no change to its policy rate.  The Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/15/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was a roller coaster ride on Wall Street this week, with early-week gains met with a late-week sell-off.  Investors cheered the largest IPO of the year that saw Arm Holdings come to market 10x oversubscribed...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week ended with losses for both US equities and Treasuries.  Apple shares tumbled on the news that the Chinese government would ban the use of the iPhone at government agencies at all levels of government.  The news comes in...

Weekly Market Commentary - 8/25/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets were all over the place last week and ended with mixed results. The S&P 500 gained 0.8% and closed above 4400, a critical psychological level, but fell short of regaining the 50-day moving...

Weekly Market Commentary - 8/18/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets fell for the third consecutive week.  The S&P 500 broke its 50-day moving average and then sank below 4400.  The sell-off has been on low volume, and the market may have been due to some...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US Financial markets had another week of consolidation.  Equities and US Treasuries sold off in tandem on light volume.  An early week debt downgrade of 10 small to midsized banks and a notice that other downgrades may follow by Moody’s dampened...

Weekly Market Commentary - 8/4/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global equity markets fell last week as investors digested a full dose of Q2 earnings reports, a packed economic calendar, more central bank policy decisions, and Fitch's surprise downgrade of US sovereign debt....

Weekly Market Commentary - 7/28/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was a busy week on Wall Street with announcements of monetary policy decisions from the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan, along with an active calendar of Q2 earnings...

Weekly Market Commentary - 7/21/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets were mixed last week as investors continued to dissect 2nd quarter earnings results and economic data. The notion of a soft landing in the economy resonated with investors even as global...

Weekly Market Commentary - 7/14/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US markets rallied on the notion that the economy may be able to execute a soft landing as inflation wanes and employment continues to hold up.  Inflation data reported during the week showed moderating prices...

Weekly Market Commentary - 7/7/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week was discombobulated, to say the least. Trading desks on Wall Street were lightly staffed despite a full economic data calendar.   The start of the third quarter ushered in equity and...

Weekly Market Commentary - 6/30/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets ended the month of June in strong form. Better-than-expected economic data for the week showed a resilient economy and inflation moderating. Investors were dismissive of hawkish commentary from ECB...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets tapped on the brakes with modest losses across the board.  The notion that higher rates will further dampen global economic growth gave investors reason to take some profits.  Economic data painted a resilient economy but...

Weekly Market Commentary - 6/16/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets continued to impress with another set of weekly gains. The mega-cap issues retook the lead, while small-cap issues lagged. Global central bank policy was top of mind for investors who received...

Weekly Market Commentary - 6/9/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 entered a new bull market, increasing 20% off the October lows. The move came with broader participation outside the mega-cap technology issues, responsible for most of the market’s performance...

Weekly Market Commentary - 6/2/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors enjoyed an excellent week of gains in US equity markets. Washington finally got a debt ceiling deal through Congress and onto President Biden’s desk. On the margin, it appears that the Republicans came...

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 to...

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 sides...

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 - 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 to...

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 mixed...

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 Chinese...

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 inflation...

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 million...

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 call...

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 could have...

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 federal...

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 suggested...

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 - 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 economy...

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 President...

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 - 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 raised...

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 come...

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 and a...

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 number...

Weekly Market Commentary - 1/6/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The start of the New Year brought volatility with it. Markets sold off early in the week and tested a critical technical level on the S&P 500 (3800), then bounced significantly to regain support and end the...

Weekly Market Commentary - 12/30/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets finished the final week of 2022 trading with a whimper.  Year-end tax-loss harvesting and asset class rebalancing accounted for much of the volume in light trade.  The technical level of 3800...

Weekly Market Commentary - 12/23/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 incurred its third straight weekly loss as investors assessed the increasing likelihood of a global recession and its impact on current earnings estimates.  Markets also had to contend with a...

Weekly Market Commentary - 12/16/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets started the week recouping from last week’s losses in hopes of a cooler CPI print and a more dovish stance from the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee.  Investors did cheer a...

Weekly Market Commentary - 12/9/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets gave back gains inked over the last couple of weeks as investors pulled off risk in front of the upcoming Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting. The market expects the Fed to increase its policy...

Weekly Market Commentary - 12/2/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The week started with concerns regarding China’s Zero Covid policy which has led to protests stemming from continued lockdowns.  Initial concerns were tempered by reports suggesting China would slowly move away...

Weekly Market Commentary - 11/25/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors pushed US equities and Treasuries higher in light volume trade. The holiday-shortened week was packed with all kinds of news. A spike in Covid cases in China increased lockdown measures and brought...

Weekly Market Commentary - 11/18/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors continued to digest the market’s recent strength and questioned if there is more upside to the move. There was no lack of hawkish Fed speak throughout the week. St. Louis Fed President Bullard...

Weekly Market Commentary - 11/11/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA “Bar the door Katie” What an extraordinary week on Wall Street.  Tuesday’s Midterm elections, coupled with a Crypto stalwart blow-up, were accompanied by a better-than-expected Consumer Price Index report.  US...

Weekly Market Commentary - 11/4/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Wall Street incurred another week of losses as investors digested another 75 basis point rate hike from the Federal Reserve.  Hopes of a pivot away from a hawkish stance were diminished when Fed Chairman Powell...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/28/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets followed through with another week of gains as investors gravitated toward the notion that the Fed would temper its monetary policy after the November meeting. Less-than-expected rate...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/21/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors enjoyed a nice rally as Fed rhetoric suggested a less hawkish policy path. The rhetoric was backed by Nick Timiraos, a Fed pundit, who published an article in the Wall Street Journal that indicated...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/14/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Capital markets continued to be extremely volatile.  All eyes were on the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) print on Thursday, which showed no signs of inflation moderating.  The headline number increased by 0.4%,...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/7/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Wall Street started the week with a broad rally but ended with a sizeable sell-off. The rally was predicated on a reversal in fiscal policy by new UK Prime Minster Liz Truss. Conflicting fiscal and monetary...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/30/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets ended a difficult month of September with losses. Worries of a systemic breakdown in financial markets were induced by the extreme sell-offs in British Gilts and the British Pound. The...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/23/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA It was another brutal week on Wall Street as global economic growth concerns aggravated sentiment. Investors sold risk assets in the wake of several rate hikes by global central banks. The Federal Reserve...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/16/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA There was no place for investors to hide this week except in cash. A hotter than anticipated Consumer Price Index (CPI) caught most of Wall Street off guard and propelled the S&P 500 to its largest one-day...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/9/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week felt like anything of the sort.  Wall Street is back from summer break, and market action kicked right into high gear.  After three straight weeks of losses that saw the S&P 500...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/2/2022 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets continued to sell off on hawkish rhetoric from the Federal Reserve and on the realization that rates will likely be higher and in place for a longer time horizon. Cleveland Fed President...