Market insights and analysis

The major U.S. stock market indexes mostly rose last week. The S&P 500 increased by 0.87%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.86%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 1.28%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index lost 1.26%.

The major U.S. stock indexes were mostly down last week. The S&P 500 Index decreased by 0.10%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.23%, the NASDAQ Composite dipped 0.42%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index added 0.58%.

The first quarter of 2023 saw mixed performance across equities, bonds, and gold.

The major U.S. stock market indexes mostly declined last week. The S&P 500 decreased by 0.10%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.63%, the NASDAQ Composite was down 1.10%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index lost 2.66%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were up last week. The Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 3.89%, the S&P 500 was up 3.48%, the NASDAQ Composite gained 3.37%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 3.22%.

The major U.S. stock indexes were up last week despite some volatility. The S&P 500 Index finished up 1.39%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.18%, the NASDAQ Composite rose an impressive 1.66%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index added 0.52%.

Last week, major U.S. stock market indexes were mixed. The NASDAQ Composite Index gained 4.41%, the S&P 500 Index rose 1.43%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.15%, and the Russell 2000 Index lost 2.64%.

Last week, the major U.S. stock market indexes experienced a significant decline. The S&P 500 lost 4.55%, the NASDAQ Composite fell by 4.71%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 4.44%, and the Russell 2000 lost 8.07%. Mid-cap and small-cap stocks were hit the hardest.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were up last week. The S&P 500 increased by 2.10%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.75%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 2.58%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 2.00%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 1 basis point to 3.95%, taking Treasury bonds lower for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,856.48, up 2.51%.

The major U.S. stock indexes declined last week. The S&P 500 dipped 2.67%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.99%, the NASDAQ Composite dropped 3.33%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index lost 2.87%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield moved up 13 basis points to 3.94%. Spot gold closed the week at $1,811.04, down 1.70%.

The major market indexes finished mixed last week. The S&P 500 Index slipped 0.3%, the NASDAQ Composite gained 0.6%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 1.5%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield increased 7 basis points to 3.812% and bonds weakened in price. The U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) dropped 0.4%, and the 20-year Treasury bond ETF (TLT) tumbled 1%. Gold futures closed at $1,851.80, down $22.70 per ounce, or 1.2%.

The market fell across different sectors and market capitalizations last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the leader for the week, was down 0.17%. In the middle of the pack, the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite fell 2.41%, and the S&P 500 lost 1.11%. Small-cap stocks experienced the steepest decline with the Russell 2000 falling 3.36%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were mostly up last week. The S&P 500 increased by 1.62%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.15%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 3.31%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 3.88%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 2 basis points to 3.52%, taking Treasury bonds lower for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,864.97, down 3.27%.

The major U.S. stock indexes posted strong gains last week. The S&P 500 was up 2.47%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.81%, the NASDAQ Composite rose 4.32%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index added 2.36%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield moved up 2 basis points to 3.50%. Spot gold closed the week at $1,928.04, up 0.10%.

The major U.S. equity indexes were mixed last week. The NASDAQ Composite, the only winner for the week, gained 0.55%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.70%, the S&P 500 lost 0.66%, and the Russell 2000 dropped 1.04%. The spreads between index performance seemed to widen over the week, both on days when the indexes fell and as they recovered.

Inflation was a major concern for the market in 2022. The second and third quarters saw aggressive interest-rate increases in response, sending broad prices crashing. But inflation played a different role in market returns in the fourth quarter. The Federal Reserve’s actions appeared to have started working and inflation began to slow.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were up last week. The S&P 500 increased by 1.45%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.46%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 0.98%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 1.79%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield fell 32 basis points to 3.56%, taking Treasury bonds higher for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,865.69, up 2.28%.

The major market indexes finished mostly lower last week. The S&P 500 Index slipped 0.1%, the NASDAQ Composite declined 0.3%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 0.02%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 236 basis points to 3.88% and bonds struggled. The U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) dropped 1.0%, and the 20-year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) tumbled 2.55%. Gold futures closed at 1,826.20, up $30.30 per ounce, or 1.7%.

The major U.S. equity indexes were mixed last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the only index with gains, rising 0.86%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite lost the most, falling 1.94%. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 Indexes fell 0.2% and 0.14%, respectively.

The major U.S. stock market indexes finished down last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.7%, the S&P 500 Index slipped 2.1%, the NASDAQ Composite tumbled 2.7%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index fell 1.9%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield gave up 9 basis points to yield 3.488%, and most bonds increased slightly in value. Gold futures closed at $1,802.50, down $8.20 per ounce, or 0.45%.

The major U.S. stock indexes declined last week. The S&P 500 fell 3.37%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.77%, the NASDAQ Composite dropped 3.99%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index took the largest hit with a 5.08% loss. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 9 basis points to 3.58%, taking bond prices lower for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,797.63, down 0.02%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes rose last week. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite led the way with a 2.09% return, the Russell 2000 jumped 1.27%, the S&P 500 gained 1.13%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.24%. Most of the week’s returns were driven by a large increase in the indexes on Wednesday (November 30) in response to comments from the Federal Reserve.

The major U.S. stock indexes finished the holiday-shortened week with gains. The S&P 500 jumped 1.53%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.78%, the NASDAQ Composite increased by 0.72%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 1.05%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield fell 15 basis points to 3.68%, sending bond prices higher for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,754.93, up 0.24%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes finished down last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.01%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.7%, the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.6%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index tumbled 1.8%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 1 basis point to 3.825%, but most bonds increased slightly in value. Gold futures closed at $1,764.90, down $18.60 per ounce, or 1.04%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were up last week. The S&P 500 increased by 5.90%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4.15%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 8.10%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 4.60%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield fell 35 basis points to 3.81%, taking Treasury bonds higher for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,771.24, up 5.31%.

In 1999, I began working with writer Susan Ward at the weekly financial news magazine Barron’s to produce a series of columns on Flexible Plan Investments’ (FPI’s) Political Seasonality Index (PSI). In the first issue of each year, we would show a chart of the turning points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) for the year ahead based on the twists and turns of the PSI. In the final issue of the year, we would republish the forecast chart from January and overlay the actual chart of the Dow during the past year and see how closely the Dow followed the predicted course.

The major U.S. stock market indexes were down last week. The S&P 500 decreased by 3.35%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.40%, the NASDAQ Composite was down 5.65%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index fell 2.55%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 15 basis points to 4.16%, taking Treasury bonds lower for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,681.87, up 2.25%.

The major U.S. stock market indexes finished up last week. The S&P 500 jumped 3.95%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 5.72%, the NASDAQ Composite was up 2.24%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index rose 6.01%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield fell 20 basis points to 4.01%, sending bond prices higher for the week. Spot gold closed the week at $1,644.86, down 0.77%.

The major market indexes finished higher last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4.9%, the S&P 500 Index rose 4.7%, the NASDAQ Composite climbed 5.2%, and the Russell 2000 small-capitalization index picked up 3.5%. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 20 basis points to 4.222%, sending bond prices lower for the week. Gold futures closed at $1,656.30, up $7.40 per ounce, or 0.45%.

Inflation continued to be the major factor affecting markets in the third quarter. The second quarter saw the largest interest-rate increases in recent memory. The third quarter saw the continuation of those increases.

The major U.S. stock market indexes rose slightly last week after experiencing significant declines. The Russell 2000 was the best performer, rising 2.25%. The NASDAQ Composite was the worst performer, increasing by 0.73%. The S&P 500 gained 1.51% as the market found some relief from heavy selling. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 5 basis points to 3.88%, continuing a run-up that began on August 1. Spot gold closed the week at $1,694.82, up 2.06%.