The equity markets closed on a strong note Friday, pushing the major domestic indexes into the black for the week. The S&P 500 finished up +0.3% while small-caps gained +0.9%. The overseas markets were more of a mixed bag. China and many emerging markets were lower and have now erased all their gains for the year. Japan, on the other hand, gained almost 2% due in part to a surprisingly strong GDP report. First quarter growth in Japan came in at an annualized pace of +1.7% – most were expecting a contraction. ...
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The markets in the U.S. were modestly higher this week with the exception of the growth tilted NASDAQ. For the week the S&P gained +0.5% while the small-cap Russell 2000 added +1.4%. Disappointing earnings from Alphabet, Microsoft, and Visa pushed the NADSAQ down -0.7%. The developed markets overseas were solid. Japan stands out with a +4.3% but Germany (+3.2%) and France (+1.7%) also did well. The EAFE ended up +2.1% higher for the week while emerging equities were off -0.1%....
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Printable Version   The equity markets staged a decent rally this week with gains pretty much across the board. The S&P for once lagged with a gain of +1.6%. Both European and Japanese equities performed well with Germany and France gaining +4.5% while Japan jumped +5.8%. Emerging equities were up +3.6%. Chinese and Hong Kong equities gained +3.1% and +4.6% respectively on decent economic news (more below).   U.S. large-cap equities probably underperformed this week…
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