Market Roundup: Week Ends Slightly Up as NASDAQ Reaches New Record High

Economy/Stock Market

The market closed in red territory on Monday, with Healthcare stocks trading lower while Energy stocks stepped up. In mergers and acquisitions news, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to acquire e-commerce startup Jet.com for $3.3 billion. The deal includes $3 billion in cash and $300 million in shares to be paid over time. Trading closed slightly in the green zone on Tuesday. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed productivity dipped by 0.5% versus expectations of 0.5% growth. Additionally, West Texas Intermediate crude oil shed 0.6% today to settle at $42.77 a barrel. Indices were down on Wednesday as the Financial and Energy sectors led the S&P 500 lower. Meanwhile, crude traded lower on Energy Information Administration figures showing reserves increased by 1.1 million in the past week versus expectations of a decline of one million barrels. Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ ramped up to all-time record highs on Thursday. A jump in crude oil and positive retailer news propelled the session. West Texas Intermediate crude ticked up 4.08% today to settle at $43.41 a barrel. On another note, Labor Department data showed new claims fell by 1,000 to 266,000 versus expectations of a decline to 265,000. Trading ended with mixed moves on Friday as the Dow and S&P 500 shed some points while the NASDAQ reached a new all-time record high. Moves were mixed on a variety of economic news. Retail sales levels were unchanged in July. June’s increase was upwardly revised from 0.6% to 0.8%. Meanwhile, consumer confidence is up this month. In a preliminary reading for August, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index gained a 0.4 point, hitting 90.4. Looking elsewhere, producer prices retreated in July. The Producer Price Index for final demand dipped 0.4%. The core PPI, which excludes food and energy, was unchanged for the second straight month.

Market Roundup: Friday’s Rally Pushed Markets into Green Zone for the Week

Economy/Stock Market

The week started out with mixed moves as the Dow and S&P 500 closed Monday in the red while the NASDAQ added gains. Major Energy brands retreated on news of increased crude oil inventories. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped 3.9% to settle at $39.99 a barrel. The Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing Index fell by 0.6 point to 52.6, but despite the decrease, production ticked up and new orders held on to most of June’s gain. The indices fell fully into the red on Tuesday as oil prices weighed on the market. Crude oil shed 1.4%, settling at $39.51 a barrel. U.S. consumer spending rose 0.4% in June versus expectations of a 0.3% increase. Additionally, personal income edged up 0.2% for the same month, versus an expected 0.3% uptick. Stocks stepped up Wednesday on rebounding oil and other economic news. West Texas Intermediate crude tacked on 4.05% to settle at $41.11 a barrel. The Institute for Supply Management’s Non-Manufacturing Index registered a reading of 55.5, down from 56.5 in June. Results were mixed the following day as stocks traded relatively flat ahead of the July payroll report. Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims increased by 3,000 to 269,000 last week versus expectations of a dip to 263,000. Continuing claims decreased by 6,000 to 2.138 million in the week ended July 23. Indices closed Friday’s trading session in the green zone with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ hitting all-time high levels. Labor Department data showed the U.S. economy added 255,000 jobs in July versus an expected addition of 185,000. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.9% versus an expected decrease to 4.8%. Meanwhile, June’s numbers were upwardly revised to 292,000 from 287,000.