Week of January 14th Stock Market Watch

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Two weeks in, and the stock market is off to an impressive start to the year, led by the Russell 2000 which is up over 7% year-to-date. That said, all major stock indices are positive in 2019. However, the true test comes now, as we enter earnings season.

Big Stories from last week:

  • The government remains shutdown
  • Fed Chairman Powell reassured Wall Street that he’ll remain patient about raising rates
  • Oil prices continue to rally, 9/10 winning days
  • Trade talks between the US and China keep moving slowly

That said, a lot of the major fears we had right before Christmas, seem to be subsiding.

graph

Source: Yahoo

The VIX closed at 18.19 on Friday. A far cry from 36, where it was on Dec 24.

Here are how some of the most actively traded index ETFs performed over the week: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) +2.6%, iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) +4.73%, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) +2.39%, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) +2.85%

Here are how some of the most actively traded commodity and interest rate ETFs performed: United States Oil Fund (USO) +7.07%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.97%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.30%

Economic Releases:
15 Jan 2019- PPI 8:30 AM ET

16 Jan 2019- Retail Sales 8:30 AM ET; EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET

17 Jan 2019- Housing Starts 8:30 AM ET; Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET; Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET

18 Jan 2019- Industrial Production 9:15 AM ET

Key Earnings:
15 Jan 2019- DAL, JPM, UNH, WFC, UAL

16 Jan 2019- BAC, BK, GS, USB, SCHW, CSX, AA

17 Jan 2019- FAST, KEYS, TSM, AXP, NFLX, JBHT, OZK, RIO

18 Jan 2019- KSU, SLB, VFC, STT, RFF

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Week of January 7th Stock Market Watch

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Stocks closed their first week of 2019 in positive territory. However, they needed a heroic effort, in which they got on Friday, with the Dow rising 746 points and the Nasdaq surging by 275 points.

The catalyst?

The Fed, of course. In an interview on Friday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, said the Fed will remain patient regarding further rate hikes.

Despite the positive news. There is still uncertainty in the market. For example, the government is still shut down.

trump wall
Source: twitter

Also, the market is concerned about how trade talks between the US and China turn out. A trade war could weaken markets, while a resolution could lift them higher.

That said, there seems to be less fear in the market, thanks to Powell’s interview. The VIX closed at 21.38 on Friday. That’s a drop of 24.5% from last week.

Here are how some of the most actively traded index ETFs performed over the week: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) +1.74%, iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) +3.56%, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) +1.31%, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) +2.08%

Here are how some of the most actively traded commodity and interest rate ETFs performed: United States Oil Fund (USO) +5.82%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +1.72%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.72%

Economic Releases:
8 Jan 2019- International Trade 8:30 AM ET

9 Jan 2019- EIA Petroleum Status Report 10:30 AM ET; FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET

10 Jan 2019- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET; Jerome Powell Speaks 12:45 PM ET

11 Jan 2019- CPI 8:30 AM ET

Key Earnings:
7 Jan 2019- JAGX

8 Jan 2019- HELE, AZZ, LNN, SGH

9 Jan 2019- AYI, GBX, LEN, MSM, STZ, SCHN, BBBY, FC, KBH, PSMT

10 Jan 2019- DAL, FCEL, SNX

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