The week began with mixed results as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ added marginal gains, while the S&P 500 closed slightly in the red. Investors likely traded with caution in anticipation of comments coming from the Federal Reserve meeting that were due later in the week. Mixed results continued the following day as West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 2.3% to settle at $36.34 a barrel and a variety of economic news was released. U.S. retail sales decreased in February, falling 0.1%, which was in line with estimates. Sales for January were downwardly revised to a 0.4% retreat. Stocks were up midweek on comments from the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting. Policymakers held interest rates unchanged and now anticipate two rate hikes this year versus December’s forecast of as many as four. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude tacked on 4%, providing a boost to Energy sector stocks. The Consumer Price Index dipped 0.2%; however, the core measure, which discounts food and energy, ticked up 0.3%. Thursday saw Energy stocks increase as crude oil touched $40.20 a barrel. The rally continued on Friday, spurred by a variety of economic news. In a preliminary measure, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell 1.7 points in March to a reading of 90, which was shy of the consensus forecast for a slight uptick. The rally from Wednesday to Friday was able to push the S&P 500 into positive territory year to date.
