The week saw a mixed bag of information from some major economic sectors, which may have influenced the equities markets to record some marginal gains by week’s end. On Monday, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 indices increasing 1.4% to reach more than six-week highs, despite the day coming in as the second lowest volume trading day for the year. The gains were nearly wiped out the next day when there was speculation about energy-company loan defaults. Energy companies fell sharply after Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said not to expect production cuts. The falling oil prices created a drag on shares of exploration-and-production companies, with energy stocks in the S&P 500 falling 3.2%. By mid-week, U.S. stocks rose, recovering from earlier losses as oil prices turned higher. The rebound was broad-based, with nearly every S&P 500 sector eking out a gain. In economic news, the latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed consumers increased spending in January, as personal spending increased 0.5% from December. New orders for durable goods rose 4.9% in January, following a steep decline in December. The important details on core capital goods were positive overall, with orders up 3.9% and shipments down just 0.4%.
