Printable Version   A broadly positive week for stocks, bonds, and commodities. Soothing words from the Fed on Wednesday served as the spark for the rally and the S&P gained +1.4% for the week. Oil prices and emerging market equities distinguished themselves with gains of +3.3% and +2.7% respectively. The overseas markets were more mixed. Japan struggled with a stronger yen, Germany advanced +1.2%, but France lost -0.7%.   Bond yields dipped after the Fed…
Continue reading >>

We saw a generally positive week for the developed markets, although a stronger dollar muted some of the overseas returns. For the week the S&P advanced +1.6% while small-cap stocks added +2.7%. France and Germany were up +2.2% and +1.3% respectively but a weaker euro (off -1.8%) capped the returns for unhedged investors. The emerging markets struggled again. Chinese A-shares were off -3.3% and the emerging index dipped -0.6%...
Continue reading >>

Tough week in the equity markets, but Friday’s rally helped moderate the losses. Growing recession fears (rational or not) as well as justified concerns about bank profitability weighed on the markets. For the week the S&P lost -0.8% while international equities were hit for -2.8%. While the losses this week were broad based, the emotional reaction has been something else. ...
Continue reading >>

The markets ended the month in a partial reversal of how they began the year, with equities up, commodity currencies rallying, and oil firmly higher. Three policy surprises in the last few days are spurring the move: a near-promise from the European Central Bank (ECB) to ease in March, a Russian proposal for oil production cuts alongside OPEC, and the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) introduction of negative deposit rates. For the week the S&P added +1.8% while small-cap U.S. stocks increased +1.4%. Overseas markets were also solid with the developed EAFE index up +1.8% and Japan +3.3% after the BoJs news on Friday....
Continue reading >>