Weekly Review for week ending 11/8/24
I take pride in personally crafting each of these emails. Unlike many others in the industry who rely on prewritten content, I write these myself from scratch. My goal is to boil down complex concepts and share relevant news in an easy-to-understand format. I hope you find them both informative and enjoyable.
Last week, U.S. stock indexes closed out their best week in a while, with gains of 4.86% and 6.30% for the S&P 500 and NASDAQ. Both Indices reached record highs, with the S&P 500 briefly crossing 6,000 before settling just below. YTD they are up 25.70% and 28.48% respectively (FactSet). It appears that this week’s rally was a mix of election outcomes and fresh economic data, with stocks surging midweek on investors’ reactions to Tuesday's results.
Following its September half-point cut, the Fed approved a quarter-point reduction last week. This move was widely expected. During the press conference, the Fed Chairman addressed the removal of a particular phrase on “gaining confidence” in the inflation outlook. He clarified that this change simply reflects the Fed’s ongoing confidence in inflation’s path toward the 2% target and does not signal any additional policy shifts1. Its amazing how hyper analytical we’ve become on what words the Fed uses and doesn’t from one policy meeting to another.
Looking Ahead
A key inflation indicator is set for release on Wednesday. October’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will reveal if the mixed inflation trends of recent months persist. In September, the annual inflation rate came in at 2.4%, slightly down from August's 2.5%. However, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, ticked up to 3.3 (bls.gov).
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Jeremy Raffer, MBA
Director & Wealth Manager
Author “Financial Planning for Widows”
________________________________________
m. 201-747-2705
w. rafferwealthmanagement.com
e. jeremy.raffer@stewardpartners.com
Steward Partners
115 W. Century Rd, Suite 145
Paramus, NJ 07652
1 https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/monetary20241107a1.pdf
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