Ironwood Team

Last week brought more volatility to the markets. While domestic indexes had some rallies as positive trade news emerged earlier in the week, by Friday, December 14, they had erased any gains. The last time major U.S. indexes ended in correction territory was March 2016, meaning they are now at least 10% below their highs from the past year.[1] For the week, the S&P 500 dropped 1.26%, the Dow lost 1.18%, and the NASDAQ declined 0.84%.[2] International stocks in the MSCI EAFE also had a 0.89% weekly loss.[3] Why did markets struggle last week? With last week's declines, the Read More

Markets went for another wild ride last week, as major domestic indexes swung back and forth. By Friday, December 7, markets had posted their worst weekly performance since March - and the S&P 500 and Dow both moved into negative territory for 2018.[1] Overall, the S&P 500 lost 4.60%, the Dow declined 4.50%, and the NASDAQ dropped 4.92%.[2] International stocks in the MSCI EAFE also struggled, posting a 2.27% weekly loss.[3] Let's take a look at what is driving this challenging market performance. Examining Recent Volatility 1. How volatile are stocks right now? If recent market fluctuations have felt Read More

U.S. markets ended a volatile month on a high note Friday. All three major indices posted impressive increases for the week, buoyed by news from the Fed Reserve and international trade.[1] The S&P 500 jumped 4.85%, and the NASDAQ finished up 5.64% - both gains are almost 7-year highs.[2] Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a 2-year high, increasing 5.16%.[3] Internationally, the MSCI EAFE rose 0.95%.[4] To better understand last week's sharp rebound, let's take a closer look at details surrounding comments by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and various international developments. Fed Developments Last Wednesday, Powell inspired optimism in investors by Read More