Market Roundup: Positive Week Despite Red Start and Finish
While the daily numbers show the week started and ended in the red, the overall direction for the markets was up. Monday’s red results were likely caused by a slip in West Texas Intermediate crude, as the slip affected several of the big energy companies. In economic news, durable goods orders increased in June, exceeding expectations. On Tuesday, energy stocks rebounded because of a jump in crude oil. Oil prices still dominated the headlines Wednesday, as crude oil added 1.7% to settle at $48.79 a barrel following a decline in crude oil inventories. Comments from the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting offered no grand revelations on whether they will lift interest rates at the upcoming meeting in September. However, the Fed kept its stance that the U.S. economy and job market are continuing to improve. Indices closed out mixed on Thursday with disappointing earnings news from Procter & Gamble. Friday’s session ended in red territory as Energy stocks Exxon Mobil and Chevron traded lower following the release of less-than-stellar earnings details. The markets also likely reacted to The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, which fell to a reading of 93.1, down from 96.1 in June. Economists had expected a lesser dip to a reading of 94.