Reversing much of the last 2-day rally, U.S. equities fell today as investors digested the latest economic data and commentary from the Fed. In today’s FOMC statement, the central bank said that they will continue purchasing $85 billion in bonds a month, though they indicated that this amount may increase or decrease depending on the health of the labor market and inflation. In other economic news, the Institute of Supply management reported slower manufacturing activity in April, while the Commerce Department’s report showed construction spending falling to a seven-month low in March [see What Can You Buy With Apple's Cash?].
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Scattered signs of deteriorating fundamentals are leading us to take a cautiously bullish stance on the markets this week. Looking back, worse-than-expected durable goods orders and GDP data were quickly ignored by the equity bulls last week, which could set the scene for a steeper correction this week as long as earnings results can rattle [...]
U.S. equities tumbled today as a steep sell off in gold and other commodities spooked Wall Street. Sparking today’s volatile session were several disappointing reports on the home front and from China. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that its business-conditions index declined more than expected, while a separate report showed home builders’ confidence falling for the [...]
Worse-than-expected employment data on the home front brought back the bears onto Wall Street last week, however, buyers still piled into equities before the weekend as bull market euphoria remains the dominant theme. The bulls will look to resume their ascent this week as tensions in the euro zone have cooled off with Russia accepting the [...]
Wall Street was in for some choppy trading sessions last week, as investors seemingly took a breather following a slew of mixed domestic and international economic reports. While small business optimism, U.S. retail sales, and domestic labor data all came in better than expected, equities pulled back after a report showed a disappointing reading in consumer confidence. This [...]
Wall Street was in for a rough start last week as selling pressures had major equity indexes posting their worst one-day drop in 2013. Markets, however, managed to stage a small rebound as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled that the central bank would continue its stimulus policies, quelling fears that the Fed would wind down or scale [...]
Wall Street seemingly took a breather today, with stocks reversing their earlier gains in the last minutes of trading to close lower. The Dow rallied earlier in the day, reaching just 20 points shy of its all-time closing high; the rally, however, was short-lived as anemic trading volumes and lack of momentum led blue chips [...]
Selling pressures swept across Wall Street once again today, with the S&P breaking below the 1,500 level and the Dow declining more than 200 points. Sparking the selloff was investors’ heightened concerns over Italy’s parliamentary elections, which produced no clear winner. Given that Italy is the euro zone’s third largest economy, the country’s instability has [...]
Markets were in for several volatile trading sessions last week as investors digested mixed economic reports and the latest minutes from the Fed. The central bank announced that it will continue purchasing $85 billion a month of mortgage-backed and Treasury securities, as they feel the larger economic landscape still possesses several red flags. The minutes also showed that policymakers remain divided [...]
Though stocks managed to claw their way off their session lows, Wall Street was in for a volatile trading day as disappointing economic reports and looming uncertainties concerning the Fed’s policies put selling pressures on the market. For the most part, equities tumbled amid worries the central bank might scale back or completely end its [...]
Investors and traders alike have surely run across the Volatility Index, commonly referred to as the VIX, in headlines from time to time. Many are quick to overlook this valuable indicator since they may not understand how it works, or how to use it to help forecast stock prices. However, this so-called “fear index” offers [...]
