Stock Market Watch for the Week of February 18th

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Stocks closed the week strong, as the Dow posted its 8th straight weekly gain. That said, we’re entering a busy week of trading, despite the markets being closed on Monday for Presidents Day.

Some of the upcoming highlights this week include the FOMC minutes and jobless claims. And of course, earnings. That said, 46 S&P 500 names report, including CVS and Walmart.

Earnings have been good enough to keep this market pushing higher. However, the Federal Reserve Bank deserves a lot of the credit for this year’s move higher. By letting the market know that the Fed will most likely not raise rates this year, it has given investors confidence.

However, uncertainty remains. Specifically, the U.S.-China trade talks are still very much in the air. If a deal unravels, it could push equities lower.

Volatility has come in a lot since December 24, when the VIX traded above 36. However, it closed at 14.91 on Friday, a sign that traders are becoming complacent once again.

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Source: Yahoo

Here are how some of the most actively traded index ETFs performed over the week: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) +2.55%, iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) +4.25%, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) +2.92%, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) +2.01%

Here are how some of the most actively traded commodity and interest rate ETFs performed: United States Oil Fund (USO) +5.69%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) -0.30%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +0.48%

Economic Releases:
20 Feb 2019- FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET

21 Feb 2019- Durable Goods Orders 8:30 AM ET; Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET; Philly Fed Survey 8:30 AM ET; Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET; EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
19 Feb 2019- AAP, FDP, GPC, NBL, TEX, TTS, WMT, CDNS, DVN, FANG, FE, FIVN, HST, LZB, LC, RARE

20 Feb 2019- CVS, GCI, HFC, LAMR, NI, OC, SAH, TRGP, CAKE, CAR, CONE, ET, GDDY, IVR, JACK, LASR, SAM, TYL, WPG, Y

21 Feb 2019- BG, ROCK, TTC, VC, VG, WPX, PLAB, PWR, AAOI, EXAS, ZG, STMP, SGMS, ROKU, PRA, OLED, CZR, CUBE, BEAT, WEN, WPX

22 Feb 2019- AN, B, COG, PNW, SNR, W, WPC

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February 19, 2018 The Week Ahead

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The markets have bounced back after experiencing one of the fastest 10% declines in history. Overall, the market is still up year to date, despite fears of inflation increasing.

Was last week a dead cat bounce or did we get the 10% correction we needed for the bull market to continue?

Investors should continue to monitor inflation data, as well as earnings. Some key names reporting include Walmart, The Home Depot, and Apache Corporation.

The VIX closed at 19.46 on Friday, a steep decline from the Feb 6 high of 50.41.

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Source: TradingView

Here are how some of the most widely traded index ETFs performed over the week:
Powershares QQQ ETF (QQQ) +5.68%, SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) +4.44%, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) +4.10%, iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) +4.48%

Here is how some futures and commodity ETFs performed over the week: United States Oil Fund (USO) +4.38%, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) +0.65%, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) +2.56%

It’s a short week due to President’s Day. Besides the FOMC Minutes being released, there isn’t much on the economic calendar.

Economic Releases:
21 Feb 2018- PMI Composite Flash 9:45 AM ET; Existing Home Sales 10:00 AM ET; FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET

22 Feb 2018- EIA Petroleum Status Report 11:00 AM ET

Key Earnings:
20 Feb 2018- DUK, GPC, HD, MGM, NBL, SIX, WMT, BYD, CXO, DVN, EXR, NFX

21 Feb 2018- GRMN, LNG, WEX, CAKE, EVTC, P, FIVN, CAR

22 Feb 2018- APA, CHK, GOGO, CNP, HRL, MITL, PPL, SCG, W, WIN, HLF, GDDY, INTU, OLED, TTD

23 Feb 2018- COG, ETR, HUN, PEG, PNW, RY

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