Weekly Update – January 6, 2025
The Week on Wall Street
Stocks edged lower last week despite a powerful end-of-week rally.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.48 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.51 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.60 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, dropped 0.90 percent.1,2
Selling Then Buying
Stocks were under pressure right out of the gate on Monday for no apparent reason other than worries over the loss of year-end momentum. By the end of trading on Monday, markets recovered some losses, but the selling picked up again on Tuesday.3,4
After being closed for the New Year’s holiday, stocks opened higher for the first trading day of 2025. But sellers gained the upper hand by the end of trading. On Friday, Investors perked up with tech stocks leading a recovery rally that erased most of the week’s losses.5,6
Megacap’s Mega Influence
Megacap tech stocks have captured many headlines over the last two years as the S&P 500 posted double-digit returns (24 percent for 2023 and 23 percent for 2024).
And for a good reason—megacap tech stocks were doing most of the work. For example, during the past 12 months of trading, more than half (53 percent) of the S&P 500’s return can be attributed to the Magnificent Seven–the seven megacap tech companies that most investors would consider household names.7
THIS WEEK: KEY ECONOMIC DATA
Monday: Fed Official Lisa Cook speaks. Factory Orders.
Tuesday: Fed Official Thomas Barkin speaks. International Trade in Goods and Services.
Wednesday: FOMC Minutes released. ADP Employment Report. Fed Official Christopher Waller speaks.
Thursday: Stock market closed for President Carter’s state funeral.
Friday: Employment Situation. Consumer Sentiment.
THIS WEEK: COMPANIES REPORTING EARNINGS
Wednesday: Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (JEF)
Thursday: Infosys (INFY), Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ)
Friday: Bank of America Corporation (BAC), Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), BlackRock, Inc. (BLK), Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)
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1. The Wall Street Journal, January 3, 2025
2. Investing.com, January 3, 2025
3. CNBC.com, December 30, 2024
4. The Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2024
5. CNBC.com, January 2, 2025
6. CNBC.com, January 3, 2025
7. The Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2024