The markets kicked off the week by closing in the red zone on Monday. Corporate earnings likely drove some of the bigger moves of the day. The next day, the indices landed in green territory, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average maintained gains while the NASDAQ closed at a new record high. Technology brands led Dow advancers while energy stocks traded lower on slipping oil. Mid-week saw Financial stocks pressuring the Dow. It’s likely investors are still awaiting policy changes; however, some analysts believe investors have been weighing recent improvements in earnings and economic data to concerns about an uncertain political landscape. The markets closed at record levels on Thursday with Financial and Energy stocks leading the advance. In other news, initial jobless claims decreased last week, as Department of Labor data showed new claims declined by 12,000 to 234,000 versus an expected 250,000 claims. The week closed with indices at record high levels on Friday as Energy, Materials and Industrials stocks boosted the S&P 500 index. Meanwhile, consumer confidence is on the wane so far this month. In a preliminary reading, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index hit 95.7, versus expectations of 98.5.
