Month: February 2018

February 25th 2018

Market Review

U.S. stocks posted modest gains for a second straight week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4 percent from the prior Friday's close to end at 25,309.99. The blue-chip index has been up for two straight weeks, representing its largest two week climb, up 4.6 percent, since Nov. 18, 2016. The S&P 500 added 0.6 percent over the week to end at 2,747.30. The two straight weeks of gains for the equity index, up 2.9 percent over that period, are its most since Feb. 13, 2015. The Nasdaq advanced 1.4 percent from the week-ago close to 7,337.39 and booked its best two-week stretch, up 6.7 percent, since Oct. 31, 2014. Most key S&P sectors ended in positive territory for the week, led by technology. Consumer Staples and health care were the only decliners on the week. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 16.5. Read More

February 18th 2018

Market Review

U.S. stocks ended the week with solid gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4.3 percent over the week to close at 25,219.38. The blue-chip index recorded its biggest one-week percentage rise since November 2016. The S&P 500 also jumped 4.3 percent for the week to finish at 2,732.22. The weekly gain was the best since January 2013. The Nasdaq ended at 7,239.4 and advanced 5.3 percent over the past five days, its best weekly percentage gain since December 2011. Also at current levels, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is 5.3 percent below its all-time high, hit last month. The S&P 500 is 4.9 percent below its own record, while the Nasdaq stands 3.6 percent shy of its own. All key S&P sectors ended in positive territory for the week, led by technology. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, closed near 19.5. Read More

February 11th 2018

Market Review

U.S. stocks finished another week in negative territory, recording the worst weekly losses in about two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished with a 5.2 percent weekly loss at 24,190.90, marking its largest weekly drop since January 2016. The S&P 500 slumped 5.2 percent for the week to 2,619.55, also marking its largest weekly drop since early January 2016. The Nasdaq Composite booked a 5.1 percent weekly loss and finished at 6,874.47, representing its worst week since early February of 2016. All key S&P sectors finished in the red for the week, led by energy. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, finished near 29.1. Read More

February 4th 2018

Market Review

U.S. stocks finished the week in negative territory with the main benchmarks posting the steepest weekly losses in about two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 4.1 percent over the week to 25,520.96. The S&P 500 recorded a weekly loss of 3.9 percent to finish at 2,762.13. The Nasdaq lost 3.5 percent for the week to end at 7,240.95. The weekly declines for the S&P 500 and the Dow were the largest since the week ending Jan. 8 2016, while the drop for the Nasdaq was the biggest since the week ending Feb. 5, 2016. All key S&P sectors ended in negative territory for the week, led by energy. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 17.3. Read More