Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary June 01, 2026 The Markets It was a record-setting month. “Sell in May and Go Away” was an investment strategy promoted by the Stock Trader's Almanac. The idea was based on historic research that suggested holding stocks, as represented by the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow), from November to April delivered better returns than holding stocks all year round. “What [the r...

Weekly Market Commentary May 26, 2026 The Markets Feeling the pinch of rising prices. The cost of living is increasing in many places around the world. “The war has sent oil prices soaring and led to shortages of products like jet fuel. Coal prices have also risen as some power companies switch to coal from natural gas to generate electricity. Countries that depend on other fuel sources—from renew...

Weekly Market Commentary May 18, 2026 The Markets The bond market was not happy last week. The bond market typically doesn’t get as much attention as the stock market does, but it is a powerful force in the financial world. When a government, company, or other type of organization needs financing, it may issue a bond. In return for borrowing money, the bond issuer promises to pay a set amount of i...

Weekly Market Commentary May 11, 2026 The Markets Looking beneath the surface of the rally. Stock markets in the United States moved higher last week on enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI), strong corporate earnings, and signs of resilience in the U.S. economy, reported Connor Smith of Barron’s and Michael Msika of Bloomberg. What makes this rally interesting is not just its momentum, but...

Weekly Market Commentary May 04, 2026 The Markets The stock market rally continued. April ended with the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) and Nasdaq Composite Indexes at record-high levels, having delivered their best monthly returns since 2020, reported Connor Smith of Barron’s. In April, investors: Leaned into optimism, remaining hopeful for progress in the Middle East. Paul R. LaMonica o...

Weekly Market Commentary April 27, 2026 The Markets It’s all about how you slice the index pie. Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) closed at a new record high even though 329 of its 500 stocks lost value, reported Connor Smith of Barron’s. How is that possible? The S&P 500 is a capitalization-weighted index. Imagine the S&P 500 as a pie. Each stock in the index is...

Weekly Market Commentary April 20, 2026 The Markets The market completes a 180. One of the most exciting driving sequences in movies may be the scene from Baby Driver when “Baby” (a reluctant getaway driver) slings a red Subaru into a narrow 180-degree turn, slides backward between obstacles, and immediately pivots into another 180-degree turn, all while perfectly in sync with the beat of his musi...

Weekly Market Commentary April 13, 2026 The Markets Sunny with a chance of rain. Last week, news of a two-week pause in the Middle East conflict was like a sunny day. Investors celebrated and the relief rally lifted U.S. stocks higher. “The cease-fire announced on Tuesday led to the best day for the stock market in almost exactly a year,” reported Avi Salzman of Barron’s. On Friday, though, some c...

Weekly Market Commentary April 06, 2026 The Markets The first three months of 2026 felt a bit like summer school. In summer school, students learn a lot in a short amount of time. A normal semester gives students about 15 to 17 weeks to learn, but summer classes cram all that information into 6 to 8 weeks. The lessons move quickly and it can be hard to keep up. That’s what the markets felt like in...

Weekly Market Commentary March 30, 2026 The Markets U.S. stocks moved lower last week. The journey toward long-term financial goals is often interrupted by unexpected events that create stress and uncertainty. That’s one reason financial plans are built with a keen eye to risk tolerance. When disruptive events occur and financial markets lose value, even the most experienced investors have questio...