DAILY UPDATE: International Women’s Day as Rivian and Stocks Zoom Higher!

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

***

Stocks surged yesterday, once again pushing the S&P 500 and NASDAQ to record highs, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he expects interest rates to come down this year. It was also a big day for Rivian which zoomed 13% after it revealed three new vehicles.

Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500 index rallied 52.60 points (1.0%) to 5,157.36; the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 130.30 points (0.3%) to 38,791.35; the NASDAQ Composite climbed 241.83 points (1.5%) to 16,273.38.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) lost almost 2 basis points to 4.085%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) fell 0.06 to 14.44.

Chip-maker strength boosted the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) 3.4% to its fourth record close in the past five trading days. The index has gained 9.3% so far this month and 24% for the year. Oilfield services and communication services companies were also among the market’s strongest sectors. Small-cap shares joined the rally, boosting the Russell 2000® Index (RUT) 0.8% to a two-year high.

In other markets, the U.S. dollar index (DXY) slipped 0.5%, its fifth consecutive daily decline, and touched a five-week low. The dollar has been under pressure from expectations for lower U.S. interest rates.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Thank You

***

***

Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", Breaking News, Drugs and Pharma, Ethics, Experts Invited, Financial Planning, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Healthcare Finance, Investing | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

DAILY UPDATE: Health Care, FOMC and the Tepid Markets

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

***

In healthcare, legislators could vote next week on a major health reform package that includes a ban on spread pricing in Medicaid and a push toward site-neutral payments.

In more news from the Hill, a bipartisan bill was introduced that seeks to cancel a 3.4% Medicare pay cut to docs, which has drawn plenty of ire from the industry.

***

The final FOMC meeting of the year will take place this week, and like most work meetings in mid-December, not a whole lot is going to happen. Chair Jerome Powell is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged as inflation continues its descent to a 2% target. But 2024 planning is in full swing, and investors are desperate to learn when the Federal Reserve thinks it will need to cut rates next year.

***

Here is where the major stock index benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500 index was up 18.07 points (0.4%) at 4,622.44; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® (DJI) was up 157.06 points (0.4%) at 36,404.93; the NASDAQ Composite was up 28.51 points (0.2%) at 14,432.49.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was little-changed at 4.239%.
  • The CBOE® Volatility Index (VIX) was up 0.28 at 12.63.

In addition to retailers, semiconductor company shares also posted outsized gains Monday, boosted in part by a jump of nearly 10% in Broadcom (AVGO). The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) gained more than 3% and ended near a two-year high. Transportation companies were also strong.

In other markets, Natural Gas futures (/NG) plunged more than 6% to a six-month low, reflecting warmer-than-normal U.S. temperatures and excess supplies.

Finally, the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon.com, Nvidia, Tesla and Meta Platforms each fell at least 0.8%. Meta led the declines, dropping 2.2%. But only one out of 11 S&P 500 sectors fell. Even the information technology sub-index ticked higher, reflecting gains outside of the largest companies in the sector.

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Refer a Colleague: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

Your referral Count: 0

Thank You

***

***

Filed under: Financial Planning, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Healthcare Finance, Investing, Touring with Marcinko | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

JEROME POWELL: Speaks On “Premature” Interest Rate Cuts

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

What Is Money Factor for SMB? : On Auto Monthly Lease Payment

***

With the Fed’s aggressive rate hikes to curb inflation looking like they’ve finally come to an end thanks to encouraging data on prices falling, investors are starting to look forward to when the central bankers start slashing rates again.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

But Jerome Powell sought to pour some cold water on the rate cut hype cycle during a speech at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday, saying that it was too soon “to speculate on when policy might ease.” However, investors still think he’ll come around: Markets are putting the odds that the Fed will cut rates in March above 50% and are totally convinced it’ll happen by May, according to Bloomberg.

***

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Thank You

***

***

Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", Breaking News, Experts Invited, Financial Planning, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Investing, LifeStyle | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

SPOTLIGHT: 23 Banks and 1 Stock

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

***

The 23 biggest banks all passed a stress test that simulated a severe recession, the Federal Reserve said yesterday.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

***

  • Markets: Stocks ended mixed yesterday after Jerome Powell (and other major central bankers around the world) signaled that more interest rate hikes are as inevitable. In fact, Jerome Powell hinted he couldn’t rule out two rate raises in a row.
  • Stock spotlight: AI-chip hero Nvidia fell on reports that the US is considering even more restrictions on chip exports to China.

***

***

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Thank You

***

Filed under: Breaking News, Funding Basics, Insurance Matters, Investing | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

DAILY UPDATE: Summer Speaks, Powell Suggests and Gensler Escalates as the Markets Rise

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

***

***

The US economy remains “very, very hot,” though not as much as it was six to 12 months ago, said former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers. “The United States is, today, an underlying 4.5-5% inflation country,” Summers said, speaking via video link at the start of the two-day Caixin Asia New Vision Forum in Singapore. At the same time, soft landings “represent the triumph of hope over experience,” and commercial real estate is one area where there are likely to be “pockets of distress,” said Professor Summers of Harvard University.

At its meeting this week, the Federal Reserve is expected to do something it hasn’t done in the last 15 months: not raise interest rates. Chair Jerome Powell suggested it might be time to take a breather as a series of rate hikes filters through the economy.

***

Last week, the S&P 500 reached its fourth consecutive winning week and the NASDAQ seventh as investors find fewer things to be worried about. In a sign of that cautious optimism, Goldman Sachs slashed its probability of a recession in the next year from 35% to 25%.

Crypto: SEC Chair Gary Gensler dramatically escalated his war on crypto-currency last week, and prices took a big hit. Four of the 10 most valuable cryptocurrencies fell by at least 15%, per CoinMarketCap.

***

ORDER: https://www.routledge.com/Risk-Management-Liability-Insurance-and-Asset-Protection-Strategies-for/Marcinko-Hetico/p/book/9781498725989

ORDER: https://www.routledge.com/Comprehensive-Financial-Planning-Strategies-for-Doctors-and-Advisors-Best/Marcinko-Hetico/p/book/9781482240283

***

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Thank You

***

Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", Experts Invited, Investing | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »