Wall Street had a volatile session last week as investors digested a mixed back of earnings and economic data. In the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement, the central bank indicated that it will continue purchasing $85 billion each month of long-term Treasury and mortgage-backed securities, stating that economic activity has “paused in recent months.” Confirming their sentiment, U.S. GDP came in unexpectedly at an anemic 0.1% decline. Jobless claims data also came in below expectations, though the Labor Department reported that employers added 157,000 jobs last month. This week, investors will once again see a slew of economic and earnings reports. Below, we outline three ETFs that should see a fair amount of activity during the week ahead [see also 7 Simple & Cheap ETF Model Portfolio]:
Buying pressures permeated the marketplace on Thursday as upbeat economic data overshadowed lackluster earnings. The S&P 500 Index briefly peered past the 1,500 level marking yet another five-year high, and ultimately settled around 1,494 as the closing bell rang. Bellwether Apple (AAPL) missed the mark and shares tumbled upwards of 12% on the day as investors expressed […]
The first week of the new year saw a quiet rally of the market, as the President and Congress reached an agreement on fiscal cliff discussions and signed a bill into effect earlier this week. The United States also reported the addition of 155,000 jobs in 2012. While this number is not really that high, […]
Equity markets kicked off the week on a fairly lackluster note as major indexes oscillated between minor gains and losses throughout the day after posting a strong finish last Friday. Fiscal cliff woes are back in the headlines as investors continue to look for signs of certainty amid an outlook largely clouded with potential tax hikes. As […]
Bearish momentum continued to be a dominant force on Wall Street last week as investors shifted their focus to fiscal cliff woes and eurozone drama. President Obama reinforced his solution for the United States’ deficit reduction, taking a tough stance and drawing an aggressive line on his policies, which include $1.6 trillion in new tax revenues. While some […]
Monday proved to be another up-down day on Wall Street as major equity indexes failed to hold on to gains as the trading session drew to a close. News of China’s trade surplus widening more than expected last month was largely overshadowed by fiscal cliff woes at home, which will likely continue to plague investors’ […]
Trading was cut short on Wall Street last week after the destructive path of Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast and forced the New York Stock Exchange to close on Monday and Tuesday. While trading volumes were understandably low, investors welcomed a slew of positive economic reports, which put some much-needed momentum back into the markets. In the United States, […]
Our bearish suspicions from Monday’s Insider proved correct as major equity benchmarks drifted lower after a number of worrisome headlines gave investors plenty of reasons to take profits. Looming uncertainty in Europe remains a critical driver for stock markets on all fronts; worries over Spain encouraged selling on Wednesday, only for the bulls to return […]
The grind continues on Wall Street as pre-election jitters at home coupled with the ongoing gridlock in the Euro zone have done little for restoring investors’ confidence. Markets will look to recoup last week’s shallow losses as trading activity is expected to pick up around major economic data releases; on the home front, U.S. GDP […]
The bears were quick to return on Monday as last week’s massive end-of-week rally created dozens of profit-taking opportunities. Selling pressures from Europe spilled over as lawmakers struggled to set a timetable for moving forward with the proposed unified banking sector over the weekend. Adding to the list of uncertainties, the Empire state index came in […]
Rain clouds gathered over the bull parade this weekend as Germany’s Bundesbank reiterated its concerns over the European Central Bank’s proposal to buy back government bonds. Profit taking pressures kicked off trading as uncertainty returned back to the markets after seemingly fading away in the last two weeks. Overseas markets will look for a definitive […]
