Each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted weekly gains last week, as stocks recovered from the prior week’s steep losses. The S&P 500 and Dow posted returns exceeding 2.0%, respectively, followed by the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq. While many of the markets were closed for Good Friday, last week was relatively slow in trading overall, albeit somewhat fruitful.
The price of crude oil (WTI) fell last week, closing at $64.91 per barrel early Thursday evening, off from the prior week’s closing price of $65.74 per barrel. The price of gold (COMEX) also dropped to $1,329.60 by early Friday evening, falling from the prior week’s price of $1,352.90. The national average retail regular gasoline price increased to $2.648 per gallon on March 26, 2018, $0.050 higher than the prior week’s price and $0.333 more than a year ago.
Market/Index | 2017 Close | Prior Week | As of 3/29 | Weekly Change | YTD Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DJIA | 24719.22 | 23533.20 | 24103.11 | 2.42% | -2.49% |
Nasdaq | 6903.39 | 6992.67 | 7063.44 | 1.01% | 2.32% |
S&P 500 | 2673.61 | 2588.26 | 2640.87 | 2.03% | -1.22% |
Russell 2000 | 1535.51 | 1510.08 | 1529.43 | 1.28% | -0.40% |
Global Dow | 3085.41 | 2988.62 | 3026.70 | 1.27% | -1.90% |
Fed. Funds target rate | 1.25%-1.50% | 1.50%-1.75% | 1.50%-1.75% | 0 bps | 25 bps |
10-year Treasuries | 2.41% | 2.81% | 2.73% | -8 bps | 32 bps |
Chart reflects price changes, not total return. Because it does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments.
The latest employment report for March is out the end of this week. Job growth has been strong in 2018, although wage inflation has been rather subdued. A strong employment report could provide further assurance of economic strength, propelling investors back to the market.
Data sources: News items are based on reports from multiple commonly available international news sources (i.e. wire services) and are independently verified when necessary with secondary sources such as government agencies, corporate press releases, or trade organizations. Market data: Based on data reported in WSJ Market Data Center (indexes); U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); U.S. Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot price, WTI Cushing, OK); www.goldprice.org (spot gold/silver); Oanda/FX Street (currency exchange rates). All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities, and should not be relied on as financial advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted index composed of 30 widely traded blue-chip U.S. common stocks. The S&P 500 is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-value weighted index of all common stocks listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The Russell 2000 is a market-cap weighted index composed of 2,000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip common stocks worldwide. Market indices listed are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.
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