In this week’s recap: Powell favors quick movement on rising interest rates.
Weekly Economic Update
April 25, 2022
THE WEEK ON WALL STREET
Hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell overshadowed many largely positive earnings results, sending stocks lower for the week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.86%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 2.75%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 3.83% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, advanced 0.50%.1,2,3
FOCUS COMES
OFF EARNINGS
With the inflation report in the rearview mirror and a Fed meeting two weeks away, many may have expected corporate earnings to be in focus last week. Comments by Jerome Powell stole the spotlight.
Investors began the week awaiting earnings reports looking for insight into businesses handling the latest inflation, a jittery consumer, tighter monetary policy, and ongoing supply chain issues. Despite one high-profile earnings disappointment, corporate profits appeared better than expected. By the time trading began on Thursday, 17% of S&P 500 companies had reported, and 81% had beaten Wall Street analysts’ estimates. Investors responded positively, sending share prices higher until Powell’s comments on Thursday afternoon triggered selling into the day’s close and accelerated through Friday.4
POWELL UNNERVES MARKETS
On Thursday, at an event hosted by the International Monetary Fund, the Fed Chair offered his view that it may be appropriate to move more quickly on raising interest rates. He indicated that a 50 basis point hike was on the table for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).5
His comments also emphasized the need to restore price stability, recalling the successful efforts of former Fed Chair Paul Volker, who used a series of rate hikes to tame the inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. While some observers anticipated these comments, yields rose, and stocks fell in response.
T I P O F
T H E W E E K
Some small business owners don’t have
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THE WEEK AHEAD: KEY ECONOMIC DATA
Tuesday: Durable Goods Orders. Consumer Confidence. New Home Sales.
Thursday: Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Jobless Claims.
Friday: Consumer Sentiment.
Source: Econoday, April 22, 2022
The Econoday economic calendar lists upcoming U.S. economic data releases (including key economic indicators), Federal Reserve policy meetings, and speaking engagements of Federal Reserve officials. The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and may not materialize. The forecasts also are subject to revision.
THE WEEK AHEAD: COMPANIES REPORTING EARNINGS
Monday: The Coca-Cola Company (KO).
Tuesday: Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Visa, Inc. (V), Alphabet, Inc.
(GOOGL), General Motors Company (GM), Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), 3M
Company (MMM), Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN), United Parcel Service, Inc.
(UPS), D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG).
Wednesday: Meta Platforms, Inc. (FB), The Boeing Company (BA), Ford
Motor Company (F), Qualcomm, Inc. (QCOM), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL), Amgen,
Inc. (AMGN), ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW), Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC).
Thursday: Apple, Inc. (AAPL), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Intel Corporation
(INTC), Mastercard, Inc. (MA), Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT), Merck & Co., Inc.
(MRK), McDonald’s Corporation (MCD), The Southern Company (SO), Eli Lilly and
Company (LLY), Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC).
Friday: AbbVie, Inc. (ABBV), Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM), Bristol Myers
Squibb Company (BMY), Chevron Corporation (CVX), Honeywell International, Inc.
(HON), Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (LHX).
Source: Zacks, April 22, 2022
Companies mentioned are for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of the securities. Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost. Companies may reschedule when they report earnings without notice.
Q U O T E O F T H E W E E K
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
BOB DYLAN
T H E W E E K L Y R I D D L E
Wilson, Xavier, Yolanda, and Zach are standing in line at the market. See if you can figure out their order from these clues: Yolanda is between Wilson and Xavier, Zach is next to Wilson, and Xavier is not first.
LAST WEEK’S RIDDLE: How much dirt is in a 2-foot diameter hole that is 4 feet deep?
ANSWER: No dirt at all. You have made a hole by digging out the dirt, so the hole is empty.
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Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost.
The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, may not materialize, and are subject to revision without notice.
The market indexes discussed are unmanaged, and generally, considered representative of their respective markets. Index performance is not indicative of the past performance of a particular investment. Indexes do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index that is generally considered representative of large-capitalization companies on the U.S. stock market. Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of technology and growth companies. The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and serves as a benchmark of the performance of major international equity markets, as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The S&P 500 Composite Index is an unmanaged group of securities that are considered to be representative of the stock market in general.
U.S. Treasury Notes are guaranteed by the federal government as to the timely payment of principal and interest. However, if you sell a Treasury Note prior to maturity, it may be worth more or less than the original price paid. Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inflation risk, market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.
International investments carry additional risks, which include differences in financial reporting standards, currency exchange rates, political risks unique to a specific country, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets. These factors may result in greater share price volatility.
Please consult your financial professional for additional information.
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CITATIONS:
1. The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2022
2. The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2022
3. The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2022
4. CNBC, April 21, 2022
5. CNBC, April 21, 2022