Stocks fell on Thursday on hotter-than-expected inflation readings. In February, headline PPI rose 0.6%, up from 0.2% in January and ahead of the expected 0.3% increase -- with nearly two-thirds of the increase attributed to a rise in prices for final-demand goods. A 4.4% rise in energy prices during the month was the main factor in the increase in final-demand goods, contributing over one-third of the increase. PPI rose 0.4% in February, down from 0.6% last month but ahead of the expected 0.2% increase. U.S. retail sales in February were up 0.6%, following the 0.8% decline in January. The Dow fell 0.2%, the S&P 500 was down 0.3%, and the Nasdaq lost 0.1%. Crude oil traded above $81 per barrel, while gold fell $18 to $2162 per ounce.

Stocks ticked higher on Wednesday morning as investors await the Fed's interest-rate decision due later today. Shares of Tesla Inc. (TSLA) are lower after the company announced a recall of more than two million cars based on issues with the autopilot feature in the vehicles. Shares of Pfizer Inc. (PFE) are down more than 8% after the company offered 2024 revenue guidance that disappointed investors, and also included results from soon-to-be acquired Seagen. The Dow rose less than 0.1%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.2% and the Nasdaq was up 0.1%. Crude oil traded near $69 per barrel, while gold rose $5 to $1999 per ounce.

Stocks were mixed on Monday morning amid continued interest rate concerns. Investors also looked ahead to new inflation data on Friday, and to a possible government shutdown next week. Hollywood screenwriters reportedly reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, potentially ending their five-month strike. However, with actors still on strike, the near-term impact on the entertainment industry will be limited. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil fell 1% to $89 per barrel while gold traded near $1936 per ounce.

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The major indices were mixed on Thursday morning amid continued debt ceiling uncertainty, though a stellar report from Nvidia lifted the Tech sector, which was up nearly 4%. Nvidia shares jumped 27% after the chipmaker reported strong fiscal 1Q results and issued much higher-than-expected sales guidance for the second quarter. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P rose 0.7%, and the Nasdaq rose 1.6%. Crude oil fell $2 to $72 per barrel while gold fell $18 to $1946 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

With a rally off the October bottom, the S&P 500 (SPX) at its February 2 high had retraced (using intraday prices) slightly more than 50% of the bear market. The NYSE Composite, the Dow Jones Industrials, (DJIA) and the S&P MidCap 400 (MDY) all have recaptured over 61.8% of their respective bear markets. At its high on February 2, the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) had seen a 38.2% retracement, while the Nasdaq Composite hasn't quite reached that minimum takeback.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Monday Tee Up: This Week is About Next Week

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks finished slightly higher in volatile trading on Thursday as investors weighed new comments on interest rates from Fed officials, mixed results from major retailers, and weekly employment data. The Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 2,000 to 250,000 for the week ended August 13, below the consensus forecast of 265,000. Continuing claims rose slightly from the prior week. The Dow rose 0.06%, the S&P 0.23%, and the Nasdaq 0.21%. Crude oil rose more than 2% to $90 per barrel, while gold fell $5 to $1772 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks gave up early gains on Tuesday morning amid continued concerns about inflation, Fed rate hikes, and lackluster corporate earnings. The slide followed Monday's massive selloff, which sent the S&P below 4,000 for the first time since March 2021. Peloton shares dropped more than 15% after the fitness equipment maker posted a wider-than-expected fiscal 3Q loss, offered disappointing 4Q revenue guidance, and said that it was 'thinly capitalized.' The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P 0.4%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil traded near $101 per barrel, while gold fell $13 to $1845 per ounce.

The stock market was volatile last week, especially after the FOMC meeting. When all was said and done, the S&P 500 was flat for the week, the Nasdaq fell 1.5%, and the QQQs lost 1.3%. The three indices (and many others) are up against or just below their recent lows. We did see a pretty good washout on Thursday, which is a potential positive. A further flush to new lows for all the indices may needed for any reset.

Some of the more-obscure technical indicators we monitor remain bearish. Some are short-term in nature and some are intermediate-term indicators, dealing with breadth and also with price. We said on Monday that this week could be important for stocks -- and with Monday's price action, things are off to a bad start.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

With the decline in stock prices over the past four days (back to new closing lows and very close to the Feb. 24 intraday low of 4,115 for the S&P 500), breadth remains weak. But we are seeing some bullish divergences that many times exist at intermediate-term bottoms. Still, certain longer-term breadth measures are in areas where the largest part of a correction still can occur.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Good Earnings Will Try to Reverse the Market's Bumpy Start

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks edged lower on Thursday morning after comments from two Fed regional presidents suggested that the central bank could begin tapering bond purchases well before the end of the year. Markets were also rattled by reports of two explosions near the Kabul airport as the U.S. and other Western nations prepared to wind down their evacuation efforts. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose to 353,000 for the week ended August 21, up from 349,000 a week earlier and above the consensus forecast of 350,000. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil fell 1% to $68 per barrel, while gold traded near $1797 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

The stock market moved higher last week in quiet trading, as volatility decreased to a post-pandemic low and tech stocks outperformed, though blue chips were not far behind. During Friday's session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 153 points, or 0.44%. The S&P 500 was up 0.75%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.81%. For the week, the DJIA was up 353 points, or 1.02%, the S&P 500 was up 1.67%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.94%. Year-to-date, the DJIA is up 13.66%, the S&P 500 is up 15.87%, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 13.59%.

Stocks were mixed on Tuesday morning, with gains in the Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors and losses in Financials and Industrials. Johnson & Johnson shares fell nearly 3% after the FDA and the CDC recommended a halt in the use of the company's coronavirus vaccine on reports of a rare blood clot disorder in six U.S. recipients. Approximately 7 million people in the U.S. have already received the one-shot J&J vaccine. On the economic front, the Labor Department reported a strong increase in consumer prices in March. The CPI rose 0.6% last month, up from 0.4% in February and above the Reuters consensus forecast of 0.5% growth. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.7%. Crude oil traded near $60 per barrel, while gold rose $11 to $1744 per ounce.

The 2020 trading year is drawing to a close and the investing year has been as uncommon as the pandemic year itself. Off a February 2020 all-time high, stocks fell into a COVID-19 crash, dropping nearly 40%. Yet the bounce back has been like a super ball (well known to Boomers, perhaps making Millennials scratch their heads), with a 70% surge in the S&P 500 over the past nine months.

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Stocks closed lower on Friday, finishing off a week that saw all major indexes decline. Riskier equities led the declines, with tech stocks falling sharply on Thursday. On Friday, The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 159 points, or 0.6%. The S&P 500 was 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite was down 1.3%. For the full week, the Dow was down 1.8%, the S&P 500 was down 2.3% and the Nasdaq fell 3.3%. For the year-to-date, the DJIA is down 1.4%, the S&P is up 6.1%, and the Nasdaq is up 26.1%. Over the past 52 weeks, the Dow is up 5.0%, the S&P 500 is up 15.1%, and the Nasdaq is up 39.6%.

Stocks closed lower on Friday, finishing off a week that saw all major indexes decline. Riskier equities led the declines, with tech stocks falling sharply on Thursday. On Friday, The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 159 points, or 0.6%. The S&P 500 was 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite was down 1.3%. For the full week, the Dow was down 1.8%, the S&P 500 was down 2.3% and the Nasdaq fell 3.3%. For the year-to-date, the DJIA is down 1.4%, the S&P is up 6.1%, and the Nasdaq is up 26.1%. Over the past 52 weeks, the Dow is up 5.0%, the S&P 500 is up 15.1%, and the Nasdaq is up 39.6%.

Technology has been the leading sector in 2020, which continues a multi-year pattern and also reflects new inputs. The iShares Technology ETF (IYW) is up 4.6% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 is down 9.3% and the DJIA is off 14.7%.

Technology has been the leading sector in 2020, which continues a multi-year pattern and also reflects new inputs. The iShares Technology ETF (IYW) is up 4.6% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 is down 9.3% and the DJIA is off 14.7%.