Although the stock market continues to rise modestly in light of bad geopolitical news and high commodity prices, the good news in equities has failed to trickle into real job creation as unemployment remains stubbornly high across much of the nation. While jobs remain hard to come by, some recent data points could help to shed some light on the current situation and offer clues as to whether high levels of job creation will be upon us in the near future. Earlier this week, investors cheered the results of a lukewarm ADP report which showed that 200,000 jobs were created in the private sector as some pointed to the high number as reason for optimism despite the figure coming below analyst estimates. However, this news was soon balanced out by the initial jobless claims report from yesterday. In this report which shows investors how many people file for unemployment benefits for the first time during the week, new claims came in higher than estimates at 388,000 or roughly 8,000 greater than what analysts were expecting. [click to continue…]
With U.S. equity markets experiencing something of a September surge thanks to solid data points and moderating fears over the global economic situation, many investors have temporarily set aside their fears over a continued slowdown and have bought up a variety of equities. While many have ridden the stock wave in recent weeks, the economy [...]
Despite a rocky start, U.S. equity markets ended the day higher on Thursday ahead of tomorrow’s crucial jobs report. While the Dow only reported a modest gain of 0.5%, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq soared higher by 0.9% and 1.0%, respectively. Today was also an eventful day for commodities, as gold continued its surge [...]
With equity markets surging in July, many investors had hoped that the U.S. was finally pulling itself out of its nearly two year economic malaise. Private job hiring numbers in ADP’s report were solid, and concerns over the European debt situation seemed to be moderating as investors focus their attention elsewhere. Despite these initial positives, [...]
Stock markets pulled back from their strong gains yesterday to finish the day in the red. Although investors were hopeful that a strong start to August would push equities forward, their expectations were halted today with the Dow losing 38 points, the Nasdaq dropping 11.8 points, and the S&P 500 falling 5.4 points. Though equity [...]
If the economic recovery effort can be thought of as a relay race, the governments of the world are nearing the end of their leg. After propping up the economy with massive stimulus programs and unprecedented injections of liquidity into global financial markets, cash-strapped government leaders are now looking to pass the baton to consumers, [...]
Equity markets have been very choppy as of late, as traders remain unsure of the market’s direction going into the summer. With details of the financial reform, Gulf oil spill and the recent G-20 summit swirling, uncertainty is running high as the curtain falls on the second quarter. However, recent news on the consumer front [...]
For much of the last several months the attention of U.S. investors has been directed across the Atlantic, where various austerity plans, debt auctions, and credit downgrades have dominated the financial headlines and given direction to global equity markets. While the fiscal health of Europe has gradually deteriorated, several positive data releases over the last [...]
Recent weeks have highlighted the “new normal” in the investing world, as concerns of a debt crisis in Europe have rippled throughout the global economy. On Wall Street, developments in the streets of Athens and the German Bundestag have trumped more local economic indicators, as U.S. markets have taken their cues from across the pond [...]
After focusing on European markets for the past several sessions, many investors turned their attention back to U.S. markets on Thursday (see Why The Euro Bailout Is Just Delaying The Inevitable). A slew of data releases gave investors plenty to chew on, with disappointing earnings reports sparking a late day sell off. The drama continued [...]
ETFs were originally embraced by buy-and-hold investors as an optimal, low-cost vehicle for inclusion in a long-term retirement portfolio. But in recent years they have become popular among more active traders who value their liquidity and efficiency in providing exposure to various asset classes. Once used primarily by beta grazers, ETFs have become a favorite [...]
