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Stocks remained near record highs last week, bolstered by a strong economy, decent earnings and low inflation.
The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent between Friday, April 26 and Friday, May 3. It was the fifth gain in the last six weeks, with the index holding its ground above the old peaks from last year.
Job growth was the big surprise as payroll reports from the Labor Department and ADP blew past forecasts. Amazingly, wage pressures stayed under control despite unemployment shriveling 0.2 percentage point to just 3.6 percent. That was both a pleasant surprise and the lowest reading since 1969.
Situations like this are often described as “Goldilocks” because business is strong enough to keep the economy moving without inflation rearing its ugly head. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right, just like the fabled girl’s bowl of porridge.
Central bankers don’t know what to do. One textbook says to hike rates when unemployment is this low. But, the other one says to leave well enough alone as long as prices stay tame. That made the Federal Reserve’s meeting last week a non-event.
It was also the busiest stretch of earnings season, with Apple (AAPL) among the most prominent companies. Tim Cook’s company beat expectations and rallied after showing signs of evolving beyond the saturated smart-phone market into stickier service businesses.
Other well-known names included Alphabet (GOOGL), General Electric (GE), Mastercard (MA) and CVS Health (CVS).
Based simply on performance among members of the S&P 500, Newell Brands (NWL) was the top gainer with a 16 percent surge. The ailing consumer-products company surprised investors with strong quarterly results, partially because its Graco baby-stroller business is recovering from the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy.
Drug maker Incyte (INCY) and Seagate Technology (STX) vied for the runner up spot, each up about 10 percent.
Fluor (FLR), Cognizant Technologies (CTSH) and Arista Networks (ANET) led to the downside. Each had some kind of weak earnings or disappointing guidance.
Financials, which tend to benefit from a strong economy, were the best-performing sector overall. Housing also gained as both payrolls reports showed healthy gains in construction jobs. Is that a coincidence, or is the sector recovering?
The Russell 2000 was the strongest major index amid signs of a looming “golden cross” pattern. Chinese Internet stocks and solar energy were other pockets of strength.
But then you had energy, which plunged 3 percent as worries about a supply glut dragged on crude. Gold miners, materials and industrial metals also fell as the overall commodity index shows signs of breaking an intermediate-term uptrend. Low inflation and strong demand for equities generally don’t help this corner of the market.
This week is much less eventful but there are still plenty of earnings.
Nothing important is scheduled for today. Tomorrow features results from Mylan (MYL), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) and Electronic Arts (EA).
Wednesday brings crude-oil inventories, along with Walt Disney (DIS) and Roku (ROKU) in the afternoon.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will speak on Thursday. Initial jobless claims and producer-price inflation are also due. Friday’s main event is the consumer-price index.
Money is flowing back into stocks as investors hope for a better inflation report this week. The S&P 500 rose 1.9 percent between Friday, May 3, and Friday, May 10. It was the third straight positive week. More than four-fifths of the index's members advanced,...
Last week's news wasn't great, but it was good enough to stop the bears. The S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent between Friday, April 26, and Friday, May 3. At one point the index was down as much as 2 percent, only to snap back in the last two sessions. Yields also fell...
Stocks have pulled back as investors brace for more hawkish news from the Federal Reserve today. The S&P 500 declined 4.2 percent in April, breaking a five-month winning streak that began in November. Selling was widespread across the index, with more than...