Charlie Toole, vice president at Adviser Investments, has the market analysis for Monday, December 17. Despite minimal movement early in the day, all major U.S. stock indexes once again declined. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 fell 2.1% and the NASDAQ dropped 2.3%. Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released December data, down from 60 to 56, following the eight-point decrease from October to November. That index is currently at its lowest since 2015 because of elevated borrowing expenses and home prices. The New York Fed also released manufacturing data: December’s Empire State manufacturing index declined more than 50% to hit its weakest level since May 2017.

All major U.S. stock indexes declined around 2% today following similar losses in Asian markets. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the cessation of its bond-buying program, prompting the euro 0.3% fall against the U.S. dollar. In terms of economic data, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. retail sales for November doubled consensus figures with a 0.2% gain. Looking ahead to next week, investors will be watching for the Fed’s December 19 statement and likely 0.25% interest-rate hike.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Thursday, December 13. Major U.S. stock indexes saw mixed results, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 0.3%, the S&P 500 posting fractional losses and the NASDAQ down 0.4%. Meanwhile, General Electric gained as much as 12% on intra-day trading and closed up 7% after JPMorgan Chase raised the company’s stock rating from “underweight” to “neutral.”

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Wednesday, December 12. Major U.S. stock indexes rallied, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ advancing 0.6%, 0.5% and 1.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Labor Department released Consumer Price Index data for November: Prices remain unchanged last month versus the 0.3% rise seen in October. During the 12 months through November, the index gained 2.2%, a slight decline from October’s 2.5% rise.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Tuesday, December 11. Major U.S. stock indexes saw mixed results today. After a 500-point intra-day swing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.2%, the S&P 500 posted fractional losses and the NASDAQ gained 0.2%. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ reported that seasonally adjusted Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.1% from October to November, versus the 0.6% gain seen the previous month. The National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index revealed a 2.6 point-drop from October. This is the third consecutive month of declines and the lowest level seen since April 2018; however, November’s 104.8 reading remains historically elevated and continues to reflect small business confidence.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Monday, December 10. Despite the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 500-point plunge early in the day, major U.S. indexes reversed their four-day losing streak to close with modest gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ advanced 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for October revealed 7.1 million job openings—the second-highest level on record.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Friday, December 7. Major U.S. indexes closed the week with continued losses: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ dropped 2.2%, 2.3% and 3.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released November data, with the 155,000 new jobs created falling short of the 198,000 forecast. Hourly wages grew 0.2% month-over-month and 3.1% year-over-year.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Thursday, December 6. Major U.S. stock indexes fell early in the day in response to market declines in Asia and Europe but gained some traction after the release of encouraging economic data. Automatic Data Processing revealed the addition of nearly 180,000 new private-sector jobs in November. Similarly, the non-manufacturing index rose to 60.7 last month. Jim noted that this higher-than-anticipated Institute for Supply Management figure reflects a well-employed workforce and robust consumer spending.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Wednesday, December 5. U.S. stock indexes closed today for a national day of mourning to honor former President George H.W. Bush. The majority of international indexes declined, with the Nikkei, Shanghai-Composite and Euro STOXX down 0.5%, 0.6% and 1.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve released December Beige Book data, with 10 of the 12 Federal Reserve districts reporting modest or moderate economic expansion during the period from mid-October through late November.

Adviser Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Jim Lowell has the market analysis for Tuesday, December 4. All major U.S. stock indexes dropped more than 3% on Brexit’s Parliamentary defeat and ongoing trade-war concerns: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ fell 3.1%, 3.2% and 3.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, bond prices rose sharply, with the yield on the 3-year Treasury topping that of the 5-year Treasury by 1.4 basis points, or 0.014%. Despite this yield-curve inversion, Jim emphasized that economic fundamentals—including earnings growth, low interest rates and a well-employed workforce—continue to indicate slow growth, not no growth.