Winthrop Partners Weekly Update 10-5-20

The Markets (as of market close October 2, 2020)

Stocks began last week on a high note, with bank and energy stocks leading the way. European shares vaulted to heights not seen in more than three months. News from a large pharmaceutical company that its COVID-19 vaccine was yielding very favorable results helped drive cyclical stocks higher, while industrials, airlines, and energy shares also rallied. By the end of trading last Monday, the Russell 2000 climbed 2.4%, the Global Dow jumped 2.0%, the Nasdaq gained 1.9%, the S&P 500 advanced 1.6%, and the Dow gained 1.5%. Treasury yields and crude oil prices while the dollar dipped.

Equities reversed course last Tuesday, giving back most of the gains garnered the day before. Each of the benchmarks listed here lost value, led by the Global Dow (-0.6%), followed by the Dow and the S&P 500, each of which lost 0.5%. The Russell 2000 dropped 0.4% and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. Investors may have been waiting for the first presidential debate as trading was light. Energy, airlines, and bank stocks led the decline, while communications and technology stocks held their own. Crude oil, Treasury yields, and the dollar fell.

Following last Tuesday’s presidential debate and renewed hopes for a fiscal stimulus package, stocks surged by the close of trading last Wednesday. The Dow jumped 1.2%, the S&P 500 gained 0.8%, the Nasdaq climbed 0.7%, the Global Dow advanced 0.3%, and the Russell 2000 added 0.2%. Crude oil prices and Treasury yields rose, while the dollar sank.

Last Thursday saw a dip in the number of jobless claims and ongoing negotiations between Congress and the White House toward more virus stimulus. Investors, buoyed by those favorable developments, turned to stocks. Tech stocks pushed the Nasdaq ahead 1.4%, while the S&P 500 (0.5%) and the Dow (0.1%) posted modest gains. The big winner last Thursday, however, was the Russell 2000, which surged by 1.6%. Crude oil prices, Treasury yields, and the dollar each fell by the end of trading.

Stocks slumped last Friday as news that President Trump tested positive for COVID-19 seemed to outweigh passage of a $2.2 trillion stimulus package in the House. Weakness in mega-caps and tech shares dragged the major indexes lower by the end of trading last Friday. The Nasdaq fell 2.2%, followed by the S&P 500 (-1.0%), the Dow (-0.5%), and the Global Dow (-0.1%). The Russell 2000 rebounded from a poor start to post a positive gain of 0.5%. The dollar was little changed, crude oil fell for the second consecutive day, and Treasury yields rose as bond prices fell.

Despite the drop last Friday, stocks still managed to gain over the prior week. The Russell 2000 climbed 4.4%, followed by the Dow, which gained 1.9%. The S&P 500 climbed 1.5%, followed by the Nasdaq (1.5%) and the Global Dow (1.4%). Year to date, the Nasdaq is 23.4% over last year’s pace, followed by the S&P 500 (3.6%), the only two benchmark indexes ahead of their 2019 year-end closing marks.

Crude oil prices plunged last week, closing at $37.00 per barrel by late Friday afternoon, down from the prior week’s price of $40.12. The price of gold (COMEX) surged last week, closing at $1,905.40, up from the prior week’s price of $1,866.10. The national average retail price for regular gasoline was $2.169 per gallon on September 28, $0.001 higher than the prior week’s price but $0.473 less than a year ago.  Click here for full article:Winthrop Partners Weekly Updates 10-5-2020