Here, there, and everywhere…
Markets around the world appear to be benefitting from global economic recovery.
After pointing out the United States’ economy is the heart of the global financial system, Barron’s reported:
North Korea may be a little country, but it can churn up big trouble.
Who’s been buying shares of company stock?
Since the start of the bull market in 2009, U.S. companies have been buying their own stock. Stock buybacks peaked during the first three quarters of 2016 and have dropped off sharply since then, reports Financial Times citing a report from Goldman Sachs.
There was some good news and some bad news last week.
Do we have central banks to thank?
Low interest rates, accommodative monetary policy, and improving economic growth have helped stock markets around the world reach record highs, reports Barron’s:
It was a good week for a lot of stocks but not bank stocks.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) both finished at record highs last week. Barron’s indicated investors owe Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen a debt of gratitude:
Things you may want to know…
Last Friday, Financial Times (FT) published, ‘Five markets charts that matter for investors.’ Among the issues addressed in the charts were:
This is the way the quarter ends – with a central bank scare.
Central bankers are stodgy. They speak carefully. For many, reading the words ‘Federal Reserve’ is enough to cause boredom to set in and web surfing to ensue.
The first half of 2017 is in the books, and what a great start to the year it has been with the S&P 500 rallying about 8% (seen in the chart below), lead by the technology and healthcare sectors. While news headlines have created a constant distraction, particularly on the political front, the stock market has been steady as evidenced by remarkably low volatility[1].
It has been a very good year, so far.
Through the end of last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index posted 24 record highs and delivered returns in the high single digits. The MSCI World ex USA Index was up more than 11 percent, and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained more than 17 percent.
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