Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary - 11/10/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets were mixed this week as investors digested additional earnings announcements, a plethora of Fed rhetoric, and a large dose of US Treasury issuance.  The divergence of mega-cap stocks widened relative...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global financial markets rallied big time last week on dovish tones from central bankers and on the notion that this interest rate hike cycle may be over.  The Bank of Japan kicked the week off with a vague move that sets their 10-year Japanese...

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Equity markets faced another wave of selling as the S&P 500 went into correction territory, down 10.13% from the end of July.  Investors saw some relief from the bond market, but trade in Sovereign debt continued to lack a safe-haven bid...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/20/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA This week, the debt market resumed its sell-off and wreaked havoc on the equity markets.  The US 10-year bond yield hit 5% for the first time since 2007, while longer-tenured issues felt the brunt of the...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/13/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets finished the week with mixed results as investors digested the first tranche of third-quarter earnings results. JP Morgan, Citi Bank, Wells Fargo, and United Healthcare had...

Weekly Market Commentary - 10/6/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors were treated to another mixed bag of market action as the yield curve steepened on the notion of higher rates for longer.  There were several central bank officials that echoed the need to perhaps...

Weekly Market Commentary - 9/29/2023 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets finished a difficult month of September with mixed results.  The prospect of a government shutdown, along with no real progress in the UAW negotiations and a recalibration of interest rate expectations,...

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...