Stocks kicked off the week strong with all eleven sectors finishing Monday higher and more than half rising at least 1%. Investors brushed off the multi-national missile strike against Syria, instead devoting their attention toward corporate earnings and economic releases. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.87%, to settle at 24,573.04, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite gained 0.81% and 0.70%, respectively. Monday also saw the yield on the two-year Treasury hit levels unseen since 2008. The following day, major indices closed higher, but volumes have been light, suggesting some investors are remaining on the sidelines as geopolitical tensions simmer. The Dow climbed 0.9% to its highest close since March 16 and propelled the index back into the black for the year. The S&P 500 added 1.1%, as 10 of the index’s 11 sectors traded higher, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ rose 1.7%. Markets closed mixed but essentially flat mid-week as strong corporate earnings fueled the markets and pushed the NASDAQ and S&P 500 higher while the Dow finished slightly lower. Sector rotation was mixed with five sectors rising and six falling. Wednesday also saw West Texas Intermediate crude oil jump more than 3% and surpass $68 per barrel for the first time since December 2014. Consumer Staples stocks tumbled Thursday, pulling the S&P lower as investors showed signs of fatigue after three straight days of gains. Investors were jarred by the weak performance of some of the world’s biggest consumer product companies that reported earnings results, sending shares of those companies into a tailspin. U.S. stocks slid into negative territory on Friday, but all three major indices posted gains for the week. Selling in government bonds accelerated as inflation expectations picked up, pushing the 10-year yield to its highest close since January 2014 at 2.949%. The NASDAQ was the biggest loser for the day selling off 1.3% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were down 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively.
