The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell for the second straight week, while the Dow outperformed the benchmark indexes listed here. Stocks have been relatively soft so far in August, which is not out of the ordinary. A slightly hotter-than-expected uptick in producer prices (see below) likely pushed Treasury yields higher, while cooling mega-cap growth shares, which are generally sensitive to interest rate movements. Several market sectors ended the week lower, with information technology (-4.3%) and consumer discretionary (-2.3%) falling the furthest, while energy (+3.6%) and health care (+2.1%) advanced the most. Corporate earnings season for the second quarter is winding down. With roughly 85% of the S&P 500 companies reporting results, nearly 81% have beaten profit estimates. The dollar strengthened, while gold prices notched the worst weekly performance in over a month.
Stocks jumped higher to begin the week last Monday. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here performed well enough to recoup losses from the previous week. Large caps outperformed, with the Dow gaining 1.2% and the S&P 500 adding 0.9%. The Nasdaq and the Global Dow rose 0.6%, while the Russell 2000 inched up 0.1%. Yields on 10-year Treasuries settled at 4.07%, after climbing 1.8 basis points. Crude oil prices fell 0.4% to end the day at about $82.52 per barrel. The dollar gained less than 0.1%, while gold prices fell 0.3%.
The benchmark indexes listed here declined last Tuesday as Wall Street couldn't maintain the previous day's momentum. The Nasdaq dropped 0.8%, followed by the Global Dow (-0.7%), the Russell 2000 (-0.6%), the Dow (-0.5%), and the S&P 500 (-0.4%). Ten-year Treasury yields declined 5.2 basis points, ending the day at 4.02%. Crude oil prices gained over 1.0% to close at about $82.80 per barrel. The dollar gained nearly 0.5%, while gold prices fell by about the same amount.
Stocks slid for the second straight day last Wednesday as investors may have been concerned that the upcoming Consumer Price Index would show prices rose in July. The Nasdaq declined 1.2%, falling the furthest among the benchmark indexes listed here. The Russell 2000 declined 0.9%, followed by the S&P 500 (-0.7%), the Dow (-0.5%), and the Global Dow (-0.1%). Crude oil prices rose 1.7% to $84.30 per barrel, the highest price per barrel in a year. Ten-year Treasury yields dipped 1.4 basis points to settle at 4.01%. The dollar and gold prices declined.
Wall Street saw a mini-bear run end last Thursday. Of the benchmark indexes listed here, only the Russell 2000 fell (-0.4%). While gains were not particularly noteworthy, the remaining indexes closed in the black, led by the Global Dow (0.3%), followed by the Dow (0.2%), and the Nasdaq (0.1%). The S&P 500 gained less than 0.1 percentage point. Investors seemed to react cautiously following the release of the latest Consumer Price Index (see below). Crude oil prices declined 1.8% to $82.86 per barrel after hitting a 12-month high the previous day. Ten-year Treasury yields rose 6.8 basis points to reach 4.08%. The dollar edged higher, while gold prices slid lower.
Stocks ended the week with mixed results last Friday. The Dow (+0.3%) and the Russell 2000 (+0.1%) ticked higher, while the Nasdaq (-0.7%), the Global Dow (-0.6%), and the S&P 500 (-0.1%) declined. Yields on 10-year Treasuries settled at 4.16% after climbing 8.8 basis points. Crude oil prices advanced 0.3%. The dollar had its best day in several sessions, closing up 0.3%. Gold prices fell 0.2%.
