Wall Street ended the Thanksgiving week ahead of where it began, as each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted solid gains during a week of light trading. The Global Dow led the indexes, followed by the Dow, the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, and the Nasdaq. Stocks have been rallying since October and the holiday season tends to be strong for equities heading into the final month of the year. Crude oil prices fell for the third straight week, firmly settling below $80.00 per barrel. A cap on Russian oil prices, coupled with China’s surging COVID cases, has kept oil prices muted.
Eye on the Week Ahead
The last week of November brings with it plenty of important, market-moving economic data. The second estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product is available this week. The initial estimate showed the economy advanced 2.6% in the third quarter after decelerating in each of the year’s first two quarters. Another important report that’s out this week includes the latest data on personal income and outlays, which includes the personal consumption expenditures price index, a measure of inflation preferred by the Federal Reserve. The latest information on the labor sector is out at the end of this week with the release of the employment situation report. Job growth has been steady through October, while average hourly earnings have increased 4.7% over the past 12 months.
Data sources: Economic: Based on data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (unemployment, inflation); U.S. Department of Commerce (GDP, corporate profits, retail sales, housing); S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index (home prices); Institute for Supply Management (manufacturing/services). Performance: Based on data reported in WSJ Market Data Center (indexes); U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); U.S. Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot price, WTI, Cushing, OK); www.goldprice.org (spot gold/silver); Oanda/FX Street (currency exchange rates). News items are based on reports from multiple commonly available international news sources (i.e., wire services) and are independently verified when necessary with secondary sources such as government agencies, corporate press releases, or trade organizations. All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities, and should not be relied on as financial advice. Forecasts are based on current conditions, subject to change, and may not come to pass. U.S. Treasury securities are guaranteed by the federal government as to the timely payment of principal and interest. The principal value of Treasury securities and other bonds fluctuates with market conditions. Bonds are subject to inflation, interest-rate, and credit risks. As interest rates rise, bond prices typically fall. A bond sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted index composed of 30 widely traded blue-chip U.S. common stocks. The S&P 500 is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 largest, publicly traded companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-value weighted index of all common stocks listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The Russell 2000 is a market-cap weighted index composed of 2,000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip common stocks worldwide. The U.S. Dollar Index is a geometrically weighted index of the value of the U.S. dollar relative to six foreign currencies. Market indexes listed are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.
