Stocks were mixed on Wednesday morning as investors weighed earnings reports from Alphabet, Apple, and Microsoft, and awaited the Fed's policy statement and comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell this afternoon. Investors will be closely scrutinizing Mr. Powell's comments regarding the state of the economy, the impact of the Delta variant, and the timing of any reduction in the central bank's bond buying program. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.7%. Crude oil traded near $72 per barrel, while gold fell $3 to $1797 per ounce.

Stocks fell on Tuesday morning amid continued Delta variant concerns as investors awaited earnings from a range of major tech companies. The Commerce Department said that U.S. core capital goods orders excluding aircraft rose 0.5% in June, in line with the prior month but below the Reuters consensus forecast of 0.7%. Meanwhile, the Conference Board reported that its July consumer confidence index rose slightly to 129.1 and topped the consensus of 123.9. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P 0.7%, and the Nasdaq 1.7%. Crude oil traded near $71.50 per barrel, while gold rose to $1802 per ounce.

The onset of the coronavirus in 2020 knocked the stock market into a bear market. Though stocks have recovered, the U.S. economy is about to slow down and COVID-19 cases are rising again as virus variants spread. Volatility, which has dropped from the highs of 2020, still has not returned to pre-COVID levels. Daily prices can swing wildly, as they did during two consecutive days in mid-July when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted more than 1,000 points. Yet investors exit the stock market at their own peril, as long-term returns from equities consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes. Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate and can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods.

Corporate insiders continue to show relative indifference to equities, neither buying nor selling aggressively. We've used this space to suggest that current insider sentiment is not surprising, given that major stock indices are at all-time highs. Still, valuations could become more appealing if corporate earnings continue to rise and global economies continue to recover. With that in mind, current insider sentiment seems reasonable. But is it in keeping with historical behavior?

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks edged higher on Thursday as investors weighed a new round of earnings reports along with employment and housing market data. AT&T posted better-than-expected 2Q results, reflecting strong growth in wireless subscribers, and raised its full-year guidance. Texas Instruments also topped consensus estimates, though the shares fell 5% on a lower-than-expected 3Q sales forecast. On the housing front, the National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes rose 1.4% to an annualized 5.86 million units in June, slightly below the consensus forecast. First-time jobless claims rose to 419,000, up from the prior week and above consensus. Continuing claims fell by 29,000 to 3.236 million. The Dow rose 0.07%, the S&P 0.20%, and the Nasdaq 0.36%. Crude oil rose 2% to $71.50 per barrel, while gold rose $4 to $1808 per ounce.

Stocks Stumble as the Economy Moves Ahead

Stocks rose on Wednesday morning, adding to Tuesday's gains as investors again shrugged off concerns about the Delta variant. On the earnings front, Johnson & Johnson posted better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised its full-year guidance. Netflix shares dropped 4% after the company posted disappointing 2Q earnings and projected below-consensus subscriber growth in 3Q. The Dow rose 0.7%, the S&P 0.6%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil traded near $69 per barrel, while gold fell $8 to $1803 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.