SCHA News and Press, Schwab U.S. Small-Cap From 03/02/23

Summary For the month of February, the S&P 500 Total Return Index ended down -2.4%. What disrupted the January rally? During the month, we received some affirming data that the economy may be on firmer footing than economists previously thought. But markets are worried that such str...

Summary The National Bureau of Economic Research takes time to define periods of economic expansion and contraction - and they do so in hindsight; equity markets are not trading based on these characterizations. The low degree of difference between the S&P 500 Index and the WisdomTr...

Summary When the market peaked in January 2022, everyone was exceedingly bullish, and no one was looking for a 20% decline. Retail investors have sharply increased their equity allocations over the last couple of months, dropping their cash holdings sharply. From a contrarian viewpo...

Summary AIER’s Everyday Price rose 0.93 percent in January, following a decline of 1.3 percent in December 2022. On Friday, February 10, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics updated the weights of the consumer price index constituents to reflect changes in consumption activity. ...

Summary Has recent strong data changed the fundamental economic and market outlook, or just the timeline? A stronger January than December should not come as a surprise, given the diminished China- and energy-related headwinds the global economy now faces. We also know that monetary...

Summary A week of rest and consolidation has set up volatility next week as key data will be released. "Higher for longer" rate expectations are gaining traction but would be discouraged by a disinflationary CPI report. Key technical levels to watch in the S&P 500 in the week ah...

Summary After years of strong returns, 2022 was the worst year for global equities since the 2008 financial crisis. This trend is evident in the recent increase in securities lending activity, the mechanism which enables short selling. In December 2022 alone, the iShares Russell 200...

Summary After having collapsed in November 2022, U.S. imports of goods produced in China shrank again in December 2022. Trailing-twelve month average combined value of goods traded between the U.S. and China was below a counterfactual trajectory based on the recovery of trade between th...

Summary So far in 2023, value-indiscriminate buyers are still pounding into the riskiest low-yielding assets with wild abandon. Fat yield spreads above risk-free rates are also known as an attractive reward for capital risk. Since 1920, this month, BBB bonds are yielding about 100 b...

Summary Market movements this year indicate that many investors don't believe that the Federal Reserve will really live up to its picture of continued increases in its policy rate. Mr. Powell, Federal Reserve Chairman, does not seem to have the confidence of the financial markets and on...