Month: January 2020

January 26th 2020

Market Review

Due to a negative Friday, U.S. stocks finished the four-day week in negative territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 1.2% over the week to 28,989.73. The S&P 500 booked a weekly loss of 1.0% to finish at 3,295.47. The Nasdaq shed 0.8% for the week to end at 9,314.91. Nearly all key S&P sectors ended in negative territory for the week, led by energy. The utilities sector led gainers. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped to 14.6. Read More

January 19th 2020

Market Review

U.S. stocks rallied for the week, lifting the benchmark indexes again to new record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.8% for the week to end at 29,348.10. The S&P 500 gained nearly 2% over the week to 3,329.62. The Nasdaq soared 2.3% from last Friday's close to 9,388.94. The major averages all hit record highs on Friday. For the week all three benchmark indexes also posted their largest percentage gains since August last year. The Dow has been up for five of the past six weeks, with a year-to-date return of 2.8%. The S&P 500 has been up for two consecutive weeks, with a year-to-date return of 3.1% and the Nasdaq has risen for six straight weeks, with a year-to-date return of 4.6%. Most key S&P sectors ended in positive territory for the week, led by utilities. The energy sector was the only decliner. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), a gauge of options prices known as VIX, ended at 12.10. Read More

January 12th 2020

Market Review

All three major benchmarks indexes set new intraday highs Friday and posted solid gains for the week despite Friday’s weak close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% from the week-ago close to 28,823.77. Earlier in the session, the 30-stock average broke above 29,000 for the first time ever. The S&P 500 advanced 0.9% for the week to 3,265.35. The Nasdaq gained 1.8% over the week to 9,178.86. Among the key S&P sectors, the communication services sector was the best weekly performer and energy the worst. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, edged lower to near 12.6. Read More

January 5th 2020

Market Review

Although U.S. stocks dropped sharply on Friday, they closed the holiday-shortened week nearly unchanged. Still the major benchmarks reached new record highs during the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.04% over the week to end at 28,634.88. The S&P 500 recorded a weekly 0.2% decline to close at 3,234.85. The Nasdaq advanced 0.2% from last Friday’s close to finish at 9,020.77. Among the key S&P sectors, the industrials sector was the greatest gainer for the week, while materials led decliners. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 14. Read More