THE WEEK ON WALL STREET
Stocks were mixed last week as good inflation news was offset by mounting debt ceiling concerns and rekindled regional banking fears.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.11%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.29%. The Nasdaq Composite index rose 0.40% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, fell 0.67%.1,2,3
UNCERTAINTY WEIGHS ON STOCKS
The week got off to a quiet start as investors waited on April’s two key inflation reports scheduled for release on Wednesday and Thursday. When consumer prices rose less than forecasted, stocks broke out of their lethargy and moved higher. Stocks also got a boost on Wednesday afternoon from comments from the White House, hinting at an opening for negotiation on the debt ceiling.
Despite a substantial cooling in producer price increases, stocks turned mixed on Thursday amid a disappointing earnings report from a Dow Industrial component and new data that reignited investor anxiety over regional banks’ financial health. Stocks ended the week the way they began, largely drifting in an otherwise directionless fashion.
1. The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2023
2. The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2023
3. The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2023