Markets are mostly treading water as traders await the results of this week’s FOMC meeting.  This is keeping wide sections of the investment community on the sidelines as there are still major questions about the speed with which the Federal Reserve will choose to cut back on its monthly purchases of Treasuries and mortgage backed […]

Stocks traded under pressure for most of last week, as many of the reasons for recent optimism in the markets has been removed from the equation.  Specifically, this means investors are starting to price-in the fact that the US Federal Reserve is coming closer to announcing an end point for its third round of quantitative […]

Stocks continue to move lower into the middle parts of the week, with the Dow Jones Industrials showing declines for three consecutive sessions.  This is the first time this has happened this year, and shows a marked turn in sentiment as investors consider the potential ramifications of reduced stimulus from the Federal Reserve.  Since cutbacks […]

US stock markets managed to post rallies into the end of the week, with the S&P 500 seeing gains of 2.1% during the Thursday and Friday sessions, to trade back above the 1640 level.  This is the biggest 2 day rally since January, and was accompanied by additional moves higher in the Dow Jones Industrials, […]

The S&P 500 is seeing one of its biggest moves lower this year as investors continue to position for more definitive announcements from the US Federal Reserve, indicating monetary stimulus is no longer necessary to support the economy.  While still largely uninspiring, macro data has shown that economic conditions continue to stabilize and that a […]

The S&P 500 moved lower on the week, creating the second straight weekly decline in the index since November.  Arguments for why exactly these declines are being seen come from a few different directions.  On one side, we have the continuing story that the US Federal Reserve has altered its bias, and is no longer […]

Stocks are attempting to stage a modest rally after positive surprises in consumer confidence surveys and in national housing prices.  Eight out of the 10 sector groups in the S&P 500 are showing gains, and the Dow Jones Industrials are trading back into record territory.  Positives on the day were seen as the Conference Board’s […]

Stock markets and the US Dollar saw moved in opposing directions into the end of last week, as congressional testimony from the US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was upbeat on the economy, essentially suggesting that quantitative easing stimulus is starting to become less necessary.  At the moment, the Fed makes monthly purchases in mortgage backed […]

Stocks are mostly flat into the middle of the week, as investors are holding off on committing to new positions ahead of Wednesday’s Congressional testimony from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.  In addition to this, the minutes from the last FOMC meeting are scheduled for release so today will be critical for assessing the long term […]

Stock markets and the US Dollar saw strong rallies last week, with the S&P 500 hitting new all-time highs (once again) above the 1665 level, and the Dollar Index rising to its best levels in 3 years.  For the most part the corporate earnings season has come in better than analysts had initially anticipated and […]