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Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa Delivers Again to Investors This week began with the DOW plunging more than 400 points on Monday’s opening, only to see it close in positive territory with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ nursing only small declines. Tuesday’s results were mixed as well and could be attributed to the second stimulus package being volleyed back and forth between Congress and the White House to where it stands now: approved by the Senate and the House but threatened…

Ho Hum, Another Record Setting Week for the Market As we go deeper into the holiday season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the market quiet down a bit. 2018 and 2019 were exceptions as we saw a holiday blow-off and melt-up of the averages in those years, respectively. This year the stock market appears to be coasting into year-end on a high note, aided by momentum from a record November rally triggered by news of two COVID vaccines being…

The Market Meanders to a New Record After a relatively quiet, holiday-shortened week that saw the DOW30 penetrate the 30,000 level for the first time, stocks have since persisted in their grind higher across the board. As Value/Income issues continued to outperform Growth we saw record intraday highs this week, not only for the DOW but for the S&P 500 and NASDAQ as well. Naturally, this roused speculation of this advance being the start of a “Santa Claus” rally such…

A Mostly Quiet Record-Setting Week We were expecting a relatively quiet, holiday-shortened week. Monday started off as expected with mixed results as investors took profits in the mega-cap issues that led the market this year. The rotation from Growth to Value/Income stocks is now fully engaged as profits taken in the mega–caps are being redeployed into those Cyclical issues that should benefit from the more full recovery we anticipate in 2021. We then saw this “quiet” week punctuated by Tuesday’s…

A Brief Reality Check for the Market Following last week’s Vaccine Rally, the stock market consolidated some of that gain this week as investors turned their focus once again to COVID and the growing number of lockdowns occurring throughout the states. It would seem that, just as we checked the box for vaccine development, we’re confronted by the details of timing and distribution of the vaccine amidst a surge in the spread of the virus. That was enough to accelerate…

An Unexpected Shot in the Arm for the Election Rally This week, we were greeted by news of Pfizer’s development of a COVID vaccine with a purported 90% efficacy rate. We always knew there’d be a Vaccine Rally in our future, we just didn’t know when. Most investors were expecting sometime in early 2021. This result came as a pleasant surprise and launched Monday’s rally of epic proportion that took the major averages to new bull market record highs. It…

Investors Are Betting on Gridlock This week began with the stock market launching into rally mode in the days before the election and then following through with the biggest post-election day advance in history. That leaves the benchmark averages within whispering distance of their record highs. Uncertainty over the election result seemed to peak last week as any good news was viewed as a reason to sell. This week, expectations for a contested presidential election failed to dampen enthusiasm for…

Virus Worries Add to Investor Anxiety This week, earnings season maintained its upward trend on the wings of results from Big Tech. While the news was generally favorable and accompanied by a record GDP growth number for Q3, the stock market looked the other direction and lost its purchase on the famous “Wall of Worry”. That’s the term used by investors to describe a rising stock market in the face of distressing headlines. It’s well documented that investors often look…

Navigating Through the Fog of Election Uncertainty This week, earnings season kicks off in earnest as more than 400 companies report third quarter results. As expected, many of the best-performing companies were those whose stocks are among this year’s market leaders. Results have been generally positive and this has imparted a mildly bullish bent to the averages amidst the ongoing rotation into Cyclical issues and the building uncertainty surrounding the future of US fiscal policy. In the background, the noise…