In this week’s recap: solid gains following a short trading week; economic reopening inspires optimism.

Weekly Economic Update

Presented by Cornerstone Financial Advisory, LLC, June 1, 2020

THE WEEK ON WALL STREET

The shortened week, which began with a powerful two-day rally of trading, was enough to drive the markets into another week of solid gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.75%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 3.01%. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 1.77% for the week. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed stock markets overseas, gained 6.18%.^1-3

Rising Optimism

Returning from Memorial Day weekend, stocks surged on rising optimism over economic re-opening, declines in new infections, and progress in the development of a vaccine.

Stocks continued their march higher, lifted by signs that the White House and Congress may be working together to put together another stimulus package. But the momentum lost steam, in part due to news of China’s vote to override Hong Kong’s autonomy. Comments by President Trump on the last day of trading eased concerns.^4,5

Rotation in Leadership

The recovery from the March lows has been powered by large-cap growth stocks, especially the mega-cap technology names. However, this week saw new sectors leading the market higher, notably the financials and industrials, while the technology and health care sectors lagged.

This leadership rotation is being referred to by some market commentators as the “re-opening trade.”  If these sectors are to remain leaders, it may hinge on a steady economic recovery and escaping a second wave of COVID-19 infections.

T I P   O F   T H E   W E E K

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 THE WEEK AHEAD: KEY ECONOMIC DATA

Monday: Purchasing Managers Manufacturing Index (PMI). Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index.

Wednesday: Automated Data Processing (ADP) Employment Report. PMI Services Index. ISM Non-Manufacturing Index.

Thursday: Jobless Claims.

Friday: Employment Situation Report.

Source: Econoday, May 29, 2020

The Econoday economic calendar lists upcoming U.S. economic data releases (including key economic indicators), Federal Reserve policy meetings, and speaking engagements of Federal Reserve officials. The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and may not materialize. The forecasts also are subject to revision.

THE WEEK AHEAD: COMPANIES REPORTING EARNINGS

Tuesday: Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS), Tiffany (TIF), Zoom Video (ZM), Crowdstrike (CRWD).

Wednesday: Cloudera (CLDR), Campbell Soup (CPB).

Thursday: Broadcom (AVGO), Docusign (DOCU), Slack Technologies (WORK).

Source: Zacks, May 29, 2020

Companies mentioned are for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of the securities. Any investment should be consistent with your objectives, time frame and risk tolerance. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost. Companies may reschedule when they report earnings without notice.

Q U O T E   O F   T H E   W E E K

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

THOMAS JEFFERSON

T H E   W E E K L Y   R I D D L E

Can you name two English words (longer than two letters) that both begin and end with the letters “he” (in that order)?

LAST WEEK’S RIDDLE: What animal could become extinct worldwide, yet reappear about a year later?

ANSWER: A mule, the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

 This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. The information herein has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All market indices discussed are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. Indices do not incur management fees, costs and expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. NYSE Group, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) operates two securities exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and NYSE Arca (formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange, or ArcaEx®, and the Pacific Exchange). NYSE Group is a leading provider of securities listing, trading and market data products and services. The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals, with trading conducted through two divisions – the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets, and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. MarketingPro, Inc. is not affiliated with any person or firm that may be providing this information to you. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost.

CITATIONS:

1 – The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2020
2 – The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2020
3 – The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2020
4 – CNBC.com, May 28, 2020
5 – FoxBusiness.com, May 29, 2020

CHART CITATIONS:

The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2020
The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2020
Treasury.gov, May 29, 2020