Winthrop Partners Market and Economic Update 3-7-21

The Markets (as of market close March 4, 2022)
Wall Street was hit hard last week as traders moved from stocks to bonds and gold. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here lost value, with the Global Dow dropping more than 4.0% and the Nasdaq declining nearly 3.0%. The Russian escalation of the war in Ukraine eclipsed strong economic data at home, including a solid jobs report. The crisis in Ukraine has boosted commodities, particularly crude oil prices, which rose more than 25.0% last week. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said he would support a 25-basis point interest rate increase in March as inflation has continued to soar.
Stocks closed mixed last Monday as investors considered more sanctions against Russia, which responded by putting its nuclear forces on high alert. The large caps of the Dow and the S&P 500 fell 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively, while the Nasdaq (0.4%) and the Russell 2000 (0.4%) added value. The Global Dow dipped 0.6%. Ten-year Treasury yields fell 15 basis points to 1.83%. The dollar inched higher, while domestic crude oil prices jumped nearly 5.0%, reaching $95.91 per barrel. Gold prices also rose, climbing to $1,910.50 per ounce. The Russian central bank raised interest rates to 20.0% as the ruble plunged following additional sanctions imposed by Western countries. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada pledged to exclude certain large Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank messaging network. Talks between representatives of Russia and Ukraine ended with no deal on a potential cease-fire as the conflict intensified throughout the day.
Domestic crude oil prices vaulted past $105.00 per barrel last Tuesday, sending domestic and global stocks tumbling. Ten-year Treasury yields slid to 1.70%, marking their worst four-day drop since last December. Investors could view surging oil prices, rising inflation, and the intensifying Russia-Ukraine crisis as threats to economic growth. That, coupled with the prospect of higher interest rates, may be moving investors away from stocks. By the close of trading last Tuesday, each of the benchmark indexes listed here declined, with the Global Dow (-2.0%) and the Russell 2000 (-1.9%) falling the furthest, followed by the Dow (-1.8%), the Nasdaq (-1.6%), and the S&P 500 (-1.5%). The dollar and gold prices traded higher. Among the market sectors, financials and materials were hit the hardest, while energy rose 1.0%.
Crude oil prices, Treasury yields, and stocks climbed higher last Wednesday. The Russell 2000 jumped 2.5%, the S&P 500 rose 1.9%, the Dow gained 1.8%, and the
Nasdaq added 1.6%. The Global Dow increased 1.0%. Ten-year Treasury yields advanced nearly 16 basis points to 1.87%. Domestic crude oil prices climbed nearly
8.0% to $111.51 per barrel, while the dollar and gold prices retreated. Commodity markets around the globe rose to multi-year highs last Wednesday. In addition to rising oil prices, aluminum jumped to an all-time high and wheat climbed to its highest price since 2008.

Last Thursday, stocks erased most of the gains from the previous day. A decline in tech shares dragged down the equity market, with the Nasdaq falling 1.6% and the Russell 2000 dropping 1.3%. Ten-year Treasury yields slid to 1.84%. The dollar and gold advanced, while crude oil prices retreated to $108.36 per barrel. With prices increasing at the fastest rate since 1982, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told the Senate Banking Committee that the central bank should have cut stimulus sooner in an attempt to slow burgeoning inflation. Despite a strong labor report (see below), stocks continued to slide last Friday. The Russell 2000 and the Global Dow dropped nearly 2.0%, the Nasdaq fell 1.7%, the S&P 500 lost 0.8%, and the Dow slipped 0.5%. Crude oil prices jumped nearly $8.00 to $115.37 per barrel. The dollar and gold prices rose, while 10-year Treasury yields fell 12 basis points to 1.72%.  Click here for full article:Winthrop Partners Market and Economic Update 3-7-21