Weekly Review (April 11-15)
STOCKS
Most global markets spent the shortened week in the red amid persistent geopolitical and economic concerns. Risk aversion intensified after fresh data out of the US showed that the consumer price index rose 8.5% in March from a year before, outpacing February’s 7.9% print and exceeding expectations. As such, inflation rose at the fastest annual pace in forty years, adding to a more cautious tone in the markets. Meanwhile, Fed’ Brainard reiterated the central bank’s readiness to take an aggressive stance against inflation. Following a short-lived bounce, Wall Street stocks finished lower on Thursday as the selling pressure reemerged ahead of a long weekend. Investors also mixed earnings results from banking giants, with cautious tone persisting further amid geopolitical uncertainty. The S&P 500 index fell 1.21%, the Nasdaq Composite gave up 2.14%, and the Dow Jones shed 0.33%. For the four-day holiday week, the S&P 500 is down 2.13%, the Nasdaq Composite is off 2.63%, and the Dow is down 0.78%. Trading is closed at most global markets on Good Friday.
15.04.2022
1161
Weekly Review (April 4-8)
STOCKS
Global stock markets witnessed another turbulent week, lurching between gains and losses as geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine and Fed’s hawkishness set the tone for investors. Following an upbeat start for the week, market players proceeded to more cautious trading. Wall Street stocks fell for a second day on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve gave more details on how fast it will tighten monetary policy, raising concerns it may slow the economy. The Fed’s meeting minutes indicated that officials generally agreed it should shrink its balance sheet by $95 billion per month. The next day, US equities bounced to finish marginally higher, with health-care companies leading the gains. In individual stocks, HP rallied nearly 15% after Berkshire Hathaway revealed ownership of 121 million HP shares. It was the biggest rally for the company’s stocks in more than two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.25%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.43%, and the Nasdaq Composite inched up less than 0.1%. Asian equities have settled mostly in positive territory after a volatile session on Friday.
08.04.2022
1179
Weekly Review (March 28-April 1)
STOCKS
Global equities were mixed during the week, lurching between gains and losses, with geopolitical developments staying in focus. Following unstable start to the week, stocks cheered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that were described by both sides as constructive. However, the initial optimism waned quickly as uncertainty reemerged. While Moscow said it has decided to drastically cut back its military activity near Ukraine’s capital, doubts have set in over the pledge after Pentagon warned the troop movements do not amount to a retreat. US stocks tumbled on Thursday, finishing their worst quarter since the start of the pandemic two years ago amid geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine and rising inflation that pushes the Fed to hiking rates. Of note, fresh economic data out of the US showed that the PCE index rose 6.4% year-over-year, up from 6.1% in January. The S&P 500 declined 1.57%, taking its loss in the quarter to nearly 5%, the most since March 2020. The Dow Jones and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 1.5% each. In Asia, equities mostly fell as investors stayed cautious ahead of the weekend.
01.04.2022
1167
Weekly Review (March 21-25)
STOCKS
Following negative start to the week, global equity markets turned positive despite a hawkish message from Powell. The Fed chair said the central bank could proceed to more aggressive half-basis-point rate hikes in order to fight the elevated inflation. On the geopolitical front, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine fail to make substantial progress on key issues, thus capping gains in stocks globally. Asian equities hit three-week highs on Wednesday, with tech stocks leading gains. In the US, stocks rebounded on Thursday after closing lower in the previous session. Markets looked unstable amid persisting geopolitical tensions and a sharp hawkish repricing of Fed rate hike expectations as the central bank officials have been signaling these days its readiness to hike more aggressively to bring down the elevated inflation. As such, the S&P 500 jumped 1.4%, the Dow Jones added 1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.9%. All three averages are now on track to close the month more than 1% higher.
25.03.2022
1177
Weekly Review (March 14-18)
STOCKS
Asian stocks slipped at the start of the week, with Chinese and Hong Kong stocks leading the losses as new local COVID-19 cases in China rose to a two-year high, hampering the outlook for the economy. Amid shutdown measures, Toyota announced a suspension of production in China’s Changchun city. Adding to a cautious tone among investors, Washington has warned Beijing against providing military or financial help to Russia. Elsewhere, the Reserve Bank of Australia stated in the minutes that the war in Ukraine was a major new source of uncertainty. Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a fourth round of talks, but no progress was announced. However, regional stocks along with other global markets bounced after a three-day slide on Tuesday and extended gains till Friday when the risk-on tone started to abate again. As such, Wall Street stock indexes rallied for a third straight day on Thursday, with gains accelerating into the end of the session. The S&P 500 finished the session up 1.2%, adding nearly 5% since the beginning of the week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.2%.
18.03.2022
1127
Weekly Review (March 7-11)
STOCKS
Global equity markets extended losses at the start of the week after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the military campaign in Ukraine would continue, making investors expect the conflict to last longer than expected. As such, Wall Street stocks plunged on Monday, with indexes suffering the worst session of the year as Russia-Ukraine conflict kept intensifying. The next day, the selling pressure in the equity markets intensified after the US announced a ban on Russian oil, triggering another rally on oil prices. Expensive energy products add to the uncertain economic toll from the war, thus pressuring stocks and other risky assets. Then, global stocks rebounded for a while as sellers took a pause, but the selling pressure reemerged following a short-lived bounce. Wall Street stocks failed to extend recovery from the previous session and resumed the decline on Thursday as investors were disappointed by failed peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Also on the negative side, US inflation hit a fresh 40-year high in February, with the consumer-price index up 7.9% from a year earlier. The data added to worries about the state of the country’s economy as the Fed plans to start raising interest rates next week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.34%, the S&P 500 shed 0.4%, and the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite fell 1%.
11.03.2022
1143
Weekly Review (February 28-March 4)
STOCKS
Asian equity markets were mostly lower but managed to finish mixed on Monday as Russia continued its advance into Ukraine over the weekend, with investors digesting new sanctions from the West. The next day, the selling pressure in the region continued to abate despite Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. It looks like Asian investors saw some signs of no immediate escalation after talks between Kyiv and Moscow ended with no agreement except to keep talking. On the first day of March, Wall Street equities slid as investors continues to express worries about geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine, with rallying oil prices adding to inflation concerns. Financial stocks were the biggest losers in the session, with Bank of America down nearly 4% and Wells Fargo off 5.77%. The selling pressure intensified ahead of the weekend, with Wall Street ending lower on Thursday amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, Fed’s Powell reaffirmed that the central bank is set to start a series of interest-rate hikes. As such, the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 fell 0.29% and 0.53%, respectively, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1.56%.
04.03.2022
1112
Weekly Review (February 21-25)
STOCKS
Asian stocks trimmed intraday at the start of the week on a report that a proposal for a summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had been accepted by both sides. On Tuesday, Wall Street stocks closed lower as geopolitical tensions continued to escalate after Russia sent forces into Ukraine’s eastern regions. Global equity markets plunged on Thursday, with concerns over the Ukraine crisis pushing the S&P 500 deeper into correction territory. Stocks suffered massive sell-off after President Vladimir Putin announced Russian military action in Ukraine. Putin said the military operation was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a country-wide martial law. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined nearly 3%. Korea's Kospi dropped 2.6%. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 1.8% after coming back from a holiday. China's Shanghai Composite moved 1.54% lower. Wall Street stocks saw a massive reversal to finish higher on Thursday, as investors shrugged off Russia’s attack on Ukraine. President Joe Biden announced that the US will introduce a new wave of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of the neighbor. As such, the S&P 500 rose 1.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.28%, and the Nasdaq Composite ended 3.3% higher.
25.02.2022
1124
Weekly Review (February 14-18)
STOCKS
Global markets were mostly lower at the start of the week as risk sentiment stayed downbeat amid persisting concern about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine despite the Kremlin denying any intention to invade its neighbor. Then, risk sentiment improved during the European hours amid the reports that Russian troops were returning to bases. However, markets came back under pressure amid resurgent worries about geopolitical tensions after NATO and the United States said they had yet to see any evidence of a de-escalation that could avert war. Adding to a more downbeat tone, Kyiv blamed Russia for a series of cyberattacks. Elsewhere, the minutes from the Fed’s latest meeting affirmed that the central bank is ready to raise interest rates soon but did not indicate the Fed would move faster than already expected. On the data front, retail sales surged 3.8% in January versus a rise of 2.1% expected after a 1.9% decline in the previous month. On Thursday, Wall Street stocks plunged as Biden said once again there was a high risk that Russia would invade Ukraine. As a result, the S&P 500 fell 2.1%, the Dow Jones lost 1.8%, and the Nasdaq was down 2.9%.
18.02.2022
1208