The Week on Wall Street
Stocks moved to the rhythm of earnings season last week, initially rising on positive earnings surprises and faltering later in the week on key earnings disappointments.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.08%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 0.69%. The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 0.57% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slipped 0.32%.1,2,3
Earnings in Focus
Entering its first big week of the second quarter earnings season, solid reports from the nation’s big banks rewarded investor optimism, sparking a rally that continued into mid-week. An announcement by a mega-cap tech company of a new AI subscription plan, and stabilizing deposits at several regional banks, further fed investor enthusiasm.
Disappointing earnings from two big-tech names dragged market indices lower on Thursday, with the largest losses in the Nasdaq composite. Despite the reversal, 20 stocks in the S&P 500 touched 52-week highs on Thursday, with 11 reaching all-time highs.4
Stocks closed flat to end an otherwise mixed week.
Housing Hits a Bump
June housing reports reminded investors that any emerging housing recovery remains shaky. After a massive 21.7% jump in housing starts in May, new home construction tumbled 8.0% in June, with building permits (an indicator of future home construction) dropping 3.7%.5
Sales of existing homes were also lower in June, declining by 3.3%, owing to a persistently low inventory level. This was the slowest pace since January. Year-over-year sales were lower by 18.9%. One reason for low inventory is that homeowners have been reluctant to sell homes on which many have a historically low mortgage rate and face buying a new home at elevated prices with a much higher mortgage interest rate.6
Weekly Riddle
Sometimes you pass me slowly, yet other times I fly by. Sometimes I slip away. Regardless of how slow or fast I am, one thing’s certain: when I’m gone, I’m gone for good. So what am I?
Last week’s riddle: What is the longest word in English to have only one vowel repeated? (Hint: It has 18 total letters, and the vowel repeats four times.)
Answer: Strengthlessnesses.
John Dombroski Jr. may be reached at (480) 991-1055 or [email protected]
www.grandcanyonplanning.com
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