Market Roundup: Markets Tumble on Economic News

Economy/Stock Market

The week began on a down note with consumer brands dragging the markets lower. Investors were also likely worried about a potential interest rate rise and the health of the global economy. On Tuesday, the both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index inched higher while the NASDAQ shed some points. Materials, Technology and Telecom sectors traded slightly lower. Stocks retreated amid a variety of economic news mid-week. The MBA Mortgage Applications Survey showed applications fell in the last week while mortgage rates were higher for the third consecutive week following a strong October jobs report last Friday. Barring any significant hit to the economy, the Federal Reserve will likely begin to raise rates in December. Indices closed well into red territory on Thursday with Financial and Energy stocks leading the way down. Labor Department data, released today, showed initial jobless claims held steady at 276,000 last week, while the four-week moving average increased by 5,000 to 267,750. The decline continued Friday with Energy stocks continuing to decline amid lower crude oil prices. Retail sales showed a 0.1% increase while U.S. Producer Prices decreased 0.4% in October. In a preliminary measure, the University of Michigan Sentiment Index hit 93.1 for November from 90 in October. Economists had expected a reading of 91.

Market Roundup: Markets Post Gains for the Week

Economy/Stock Market

The week began with positive results, with the Energy sector leading the way up. The rally pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average back into positive territory for 2015 for the first time since July. The rally in Energy continued on Tuesday, bolstered by rising crude costs. Additionally, monthly auto sales increased. The markets did a turnabout mid-week on a variety of economic news. Services industry activity ticked up in October, with the Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index rising from 56.9 to 59.1. The results exceeded consensus expectations. On another note, the U.S. trade gap contracted to $40.8 billion in September, from a revised $48 billion in August. Thursday’s trading session closed slightly lower in the wake of mixed earnings reports. Stronger-than-expected jobs numbers led to mixed moves on Friday. The Dow and NASDAQ tacked on some points while the S&P 500 traded fractionally into the red. October employment data exceeded expectations, with the U.S. economy adding 271,000 jobs last month versus expectations of 180,000. The unemployment rate slipped to five percent. Additionally, August’s numbers were upwardly revised by 17,000, while September’s results were revised down by 5,000.