Winthrop Partners’ Market and Economic Update 6-27-22

The Markets (as of market close June 24, 2022)
The stock and bond markets were closed last Monday to observe the Juneteenth federal holiday. Then, after three weeks of bruising losses, stocks rebounded over the next four days to deliver solid gains. Investors hung on every word during Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s two days of testimony before Congress, but ironically it was signs of economic weakness that seemed to lift their spirits. The tech-heavy Nasdaq surged 7.5% and the S&P 500, which increased 6.5%, had its second-best showing of the year. The Russell 2000 rose 6.0%, followed by the Dow (5.4%) and the Global Dow (2.5%). Crude oil prices dropped (5.4%) for the second week in a row.
Investors were ready to rally last Tuesday, the first trading day after a nerve-wracking week in which U.S. stocks suffered their worst one-week decline since March 2020. The Nasdaq jumped 2.5%, followed by the S&P 500 (2.4%), the Dow (2.1%), the Russell 2000 (1.7%), and the Global Dow (1.4%). Gains were widespread across all 11 market sectors. A sell-off in U.S. government bonds pushed the yield on 10-year Treasuries above 3.3%. Crude oil prices climbed, while gold and the dollar dipped.
On Wednesday, Powell told Congress that attempting to control inflation (by hiking interest rates) is essential, and while the Committee’s intent is not to provoke a recession, “it’s certainly a possibility.” U.S. stocks swung between losses and gains before ending the day slightly in the red. The Global Dow fell 0.7%, while the Dow and the Russell 2000 slipped 0.2%. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq barely dipped (-0.1%). With recession fears taking center stage, oil prices sunk 2.5% on expectations for reduced demand. The dollar weakened and gold prices advanced.
U.S. stocks ended higher last Thursday, even though the market remained jittery during the second day of Powell’s testimony. The Global Dow lost 0.9%, but the benchmark U.S. indexes listed here posted gains, led by the Nasdaq (1.6%) and followed by the Russell 2000 (1.2%), the S&P 500 (0.9%), and the Dow (0.6%). Information technology shares outperformed, as did defensive sectors including utilities, health care, real estate, and consumer staples. Economically sensitive sectors lagged, especially energy, which fell 3.75%. The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined 7 basis points to 3.08%. Crude oil and gold prices fell, and the dollar advanced.
Stocks soared on Friday after the May reading of a closely watched gauge of longer-term consumer inflation expectations was revised downward from an alarming 14-year high. Weakening economic data offered some hope that cooler inflation could potentially reduce the need for drastic rate hikes by the Fed. The Nasdaq jumped 3.3%, followed by the Russell 2000 (3.2%), the S&P 500 (3.1%), the Dow (2.7%), and the Global Dow (2.2%). All 11 market sectors ended the day higher. Treasury yields ticked up, while crude oil prices, gold, and the dollar fell.  Click here for the full article: Winthrop Partners Market and Economic Update 6-27-22