[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] The S&P 500 snapped a five-day winning streak in the first full trading session since Wednesday, with stocks finishing mostly lower Monday as investors grew wary ahead of budget negotiations in Washington and Europe struggled to reach a consensus over Greece that would release the next tranche of aid money. After slipping 109 points in early …
One Man’s Opinion: Will Europe return to growth in 2013?
Latest data shows German business confidence has firmed up after hitting a 2-1/2 year low, indicating a bottoming out for the economy, although overall data across Europe has been flattish, says Laurent Fransolet, head of European interest-rate strategy at Barclays Plc. The PMI survey results throughout Europe have been generally better than the actual hard data and even-though it’s too …
Equities Inch Higher On Economy, Mideast; Europe Edges Up While Greece Lingers
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities managed to eke out modest gains with major averages hitting a near two-week high after a ceasefire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas in Egypt, propelling the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite into the expansionary territory for the fourth straight session. In the US, weekly jobless claims dropped to 410,000, a Labor Department …
US Rally Fizzles As HP Plunge Offset Housing Gains; Europe Buoyed By Mideast Hope
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] Capping a choppy trading session, US stocks finished little changed Tuesday after an early rally triggered by an increase in housing starts in October was offset by a sharp sell-off in Hewlett-Packard shares. The looming budget negotiations on tax hikes and spending cuts continued to weigh on investors after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged lawmakers …
Fiscal Cliff Hope Fest Pushes Indexes Higher, But On Very Low Volume; Europe Surges
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US stocks surged Monday to log their biggest single-session gain in months on positive housing data and increasing investor confidence that a budget deal would be reached in Washington. Mind you that a deal is pure hope at this time, and I have my doubts that total cooperation without any battle will actually be feasible. Wall …
One Man’s Opinion: Are Worries About The Fiscal Cliff Over-hyped?
The US economy grew by 2.3 percent in the second quarter, while the third quarter growth rate has been about three percent, which means average annual growth will be about 2.6 percent in 2012, says James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management. There are so many more parts which are working than they were a year ago. …