Friday’s better-than-anticipated jobs number makes it a little bit easier for President Obama to hike taxes on the wealthy, says Barry Knapp, Head of Equity Strategy at Barclays Capital. However, on close examination, you’ll see earnings-growth has been very tepid and total hours worked has remained flat. In other words, every one-tenth of that total hours worked is worth …
Apple Rebound Boosts US Stocks Amid Cliff Negotiations; Europe Gains On German Factory Orders
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US stocks advanced for the second straight day Thursday as Apple Inc bounced back from its biggest drop in nearly four years and technology stocks showed strength. But the gains were capped as investors avoided making big bets as long as a budget deal remained elusive in Washington. The indexes continued in roller coaster mode pushed …
Uncertainty Reigns As Apple Weighs On NASDAQ; Europe Rises As Nokia Rallies
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities ended mostly higher Wednesday as Wall Street applauded comments from President Obama on the fiscal cliff, and investors lapped up upbeat corporate news, but Apple Inc dragged down the NASDAQ Composite. On the economic front, the Institute for Supply Management reported a slightly faster pace of growth for the US services sector in November, …
7 ETF Model Portfolios You Can Use – Updated through 12/4/2012
With the looming fiscal cliff as the backdrop, the major indexes meandered and then pulled back with the S&P 500 managing to eke out a 0.6% gain since last week’s ETF Model Portfolio report. There is no secret that nothing matters much other than the latest battle news from the fiscal cliff participants, as the fronts appear to harden almost …
US Indexes Ease As Fiscal Cliff Wrangling Continues; Europe Wobbles On Uncertainties
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US stocks turned lower, sending the major equity averages down for a second straight day, as Democrats stuck to their guns on raising taxes for the richest Americans and eurozone differences continued to fester over a new banking regulator in the single currency bloc. In the latest round of US budget negotiations, the White House rejected …
More Fiscal Cliff Rhetoric With No Tangible Results; Weak Data Pulls Down Indexes
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities finished lower as politicians in Washington restarted the rhetoric on how to manage the nation’s fiscal policy, and a measure of factory output showed unexpected contraction in November. The Institute for Supply Management’s index of manufacturing activity dropped to 49.5 in November from 51.7 a month earlier, signaling contraction for the first time since …