Daily Market Commentary

A slew of positive economic data came out today, sending major indices up over 1 percent, and the Nasdaq over 1.5 percent. The primary driving force behind the rally was the Labor Department report that unemployment had dropped to 8.3 percent, with…

Markets were basically flat today, even after a slight dip in jobless claims was reported. The Labor Department reported that unemployment applications fell to a weekly rate of 367,000, below the four week average. Sara Lee (SLE) reported a stronge…

Markets were up today on speculation over a Facebook IPO and positive economic data. In particular, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index showed that factories raised their output in January to reach a seven month high. In corpo…

Markets were slightly down today, as the Greek debt negotiations dragged on without an end in sight. The Commerce Department also released a batch of economic data; including the fact that consumer spending were basically unchanged in December from…

Markets ended flat for the day, as negative housing and consumer sentiment data depressed an early rally. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of single-family home prices showed a 0.7 percent decline in November, much bigger than was expected. A consume…

GDP grew at a rate of 2.8 percent last quarter, the fastest it has grown in a year and a half, but major indices remained mixed as there were several indicators that the beginning of 2012 would not go as smoothly. Consumer sentiment did, however, g…

The expansionary comments from the Federal Reserve were not enough for markets today, as major indices fell. The most likely factor was the housing data which came out, showing that  sales fell in December for the first time in four months, making…

Major indices jumped close to 1 percent today after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that it was unlikely there would be any federal funds rate target hike until at least late 2014. In Europe, it is reported that the members of the European Central Bank…

As discussions over the restructuring of Greek debt hit another roadbump in Europe, major indices were flat or slightly down today. Louisiana received good news about its jobless rate, which went down from 6.9 percent in November to 6.8 percent in …

Major US indices ended essentially flat for the day today, as investor anxiety mounted during the meetings in Europe concerning the state of the eurozone and what actions might be necessary. Yields on 10-year Treasury notes fell for the fourth day …