The momentum stocks have enjoyed since the beginning of the year waned some last week as investors took time to consider economic and trade developments. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained the most, up almost 1.0%. At the other end of the spectrum was the Global Dow, which fell 0.15%. In between, the Dow and the Russell 2000 almost broke even, while the S&P 500 pushed ahead by about 0.4%. For the year, the major indexes listed here are still doing quite well. The Dow and S&P 500 are off to their best start to a year in over 30 years, while the Nasdaq has enjoyed 10 straight weeks of positive returns.
Oil prices fell for the first time in several weeks, closing at $55.74 per barrel by late Friday, down from the prior week’s closing price of $57.16 per barrel. The price of gold (COMEX) dove last week, sinking to $1,294.20 by last Friday evening, down from the prior week’s price of $1,330.20. The national average retail regular gasoline price was $2.390 per gallon on February 25, 2019, $0.073 higher than the prior week’s price but $0.158 less than a year ago.
Market/Index | 2018 Close | Prior Week | As of 3/1 | Weekly Change | YTD Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DJIA | 23327.46 | 26031.81 | 26026.32 | -0.02% | 11.57% |
Nasdaq | 6635.28 | 7527.54 | 7595.35 | 0.90% | 14.47% |
S&P 500 | 2506.85 | 2792.67 | 2803.69 | 0.39% | 11.84% |
Russell 2000 | 1348.56 | 1590.06 | 1589.64 | -0.03% | 17.88% |
Global Dow | 2736.74 | 3010.94 | 3006.41 | -0.15% | 9.85% |
Fed. Funds target rate | 2.25%-2.50% | 2.25%-2.50% | 2.25%-2.50% | 0 bps | 0 bps |
10-year Treasuries | 2.68% | 2.65% | 2.75% | 10 bps | 7 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.
Note: Due to the government shutdown, some affected federal agencies are providing reports for December, while others have information available for January. These monthly reporting differences are noted below.
The employment figures for February are out this week. Over 300,000 new jobs were added in January, so a reduction is expected for February. Wage inflation has been tepid for the most part, rising a little over 3.0% in 2018.
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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