November 2, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 0.7% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index declined 0.6%, Gold fell 2.5% and Bitcoin shed 0.8%. Economic news was sparse this week as the government shutdown remains in effect. The Dallas and Richmond Fed manufacturing surveys showed deceleration in both regions with falling new orders. Pending home sales stayed flat despite lower...
October 26, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 1.9% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.2%, Gold fell 3.0% and Bitcoin rallied 3.9%. This week’s economic data gave investors a cautiously upbeat view of the U.S. economy. September’s CPI rose 0.3% month-over-month and 3.0% year-over-year—slightly below expectations—bolstering hopes for another Fed rate cut soon. Existing home sales climbed 1.5%...
October 18, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 1.7% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.5%, while Gold rose 5.4% and Bitcoin fell 8.8%. This week delivered three key economic reports. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment stayed almost flat at 55, reflecting cautious consumers amid inflation worries. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dipped by two points to...
October 4, 2025 The S&P 500 rallied 1.1% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.4%, while Gold rose 3.1% and Bitcoin soared 12.7%. The U.S. government began its first shutdown in nearly seven years on Wednesday after President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats failed to reach a spending deal. The CBO estimates that 750,000 federal employees are furloughed...
September 28, 2025 The S&P 500 fell 0.3% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index fell 0.2%, Gold rose 2.2% and Bitcoin declined 5.3%. The economic data was mostly positive this week. GDP growth was revised up to a 3.8% annual rate, boosted by consumer spending and lower imports. Retail sales and personal income showed solid gains. Durable goods orders...
September 20, 2025 The S&P 500 made a fresh all-time high this week, rising 1.3%. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index lost 0.3%, while Gold gained 1.1% and Bitcoin fell 1.5%. Retail sales jumped a more than expected 0.6% in August, continuing a three-month trend of strong growth. US GDP growth appears to have accelerated even as employment growth has faltered...
September 6, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 0.4% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 1.0%, while Gold surged 4.1% and Bitcoin jumped 3.2%. The ISM Manufacturing Index showed ongoing softness in the industrial economy, with August’s PMI holding in contraction territory at 48.7. Executives cited tariff headwinds and lingering policy uncertainty as key drags on growth and stability...
August 31, 2025 The S&P 500 declined 0.1% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.1%, while Gold rose 2.4% and Bitcoin fell 7.3%. The inflation data worsened this week as the Fed's preferred inflation metric (PCE) moved further above their 2% target, rising to 2.6%. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.9%. Consumer confidence dipped to...
August 23, 2025 The S&P 500 rallied 0.3% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.5%, while Gold rose 1.0% and Bitcoin fell 0.3%. Risk assets started the week under pressure as investors braced for Fed Chair Powell’s remarks at Jackson Hole. By Friday, markets rebounded sharply after Powell hinted more clearly at the possibility of upcoming rate cuts...
August 17, 2025 The S&P 500 rallied 1.0% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index was flat, while Gold fell 1.8% and Bitcoin gained 0.5%. US retail sales posted solid advances in consecutive months for the first time this year, tempering concerns of a slowdown in spending. Meanwhile, inflation pressure is rising again, consistent with our forecast for a rebound...
August 11, 2025 To our loyal readers: 5 Things is back from our summer siesta! We will resume our normal publication schedule going forward. The S&P 500 rallied 2.4% this week as investors shrugged off a spate of weak economic data. The Aggregate Bond Index fell 0.2%. Gold rallied 1.3% and Bitcoin jumped 3.0%. The ISM Services PMI index came...
June 28, 2025 Markets experienced the best cross-asset rally in over a year. The S&P 500 surged 3.5% to a fresh record, the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.6%, Gold fell 2.9%, and Bitcoin rallied 3.5% to break back above $100K. Cooling inflation and stronger consumer sentiment helped fuel the rally, even as economic data flashed caution. Jobless claims ticked...