Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 15th September 2024.

The major global stock indices staged a sharp recovery, posting weekly gains of between 3% and 6%, effectively reversing the steep losses seen the previous week.

Midweek, equity markets initially tumbled following the release of U.S. inflation data, which showed that core inflation (excluding food and energy) edged up by 0.3% in August—slightly above consensus forecasts.

Across the Atlantic, the European Central Bank (ECB) cut its deposit rate for the second time this year, lowering it by a quarter-point to 3.5%, in line with expectations.

US equities surged by over 4% for the week, led by a 6% rally in the tech sector.

Looking ahead, all eyes are on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting, concluding on Wednesday, where the central bank is widely expected to deliver its first rate cut since early 2020.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 8th September 2024.

U.S. stock indexes posted some of the steepest weekly declines in more than a year, as employment data from the US stoked economic growth concerns and AI champion Nvidia came under scrutiny from the Justice Department.

The latest U.S. labour market data confirmed a weakening trend. Early signals of this were evident in the job openings figures, which dropped to around 7.7 million, marking the lowest point this year.

The closely watched nonfarm payrolls report echoed this softer trend, showing only 142,000 new jobs in contrast to the anticipated 165,000.

Despite these concerning figures, the report wasn't all doom and gloom.

US equities fell over 4% for the week and US technology over 6% as the US labour data release increased concerns around economic growth.

The price of U.S. crude oil fell nearly 8% for the week to the lowest level in about 14 months, with the commodity trading for around $68 per barrel on Friday afternoon.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 1st September 2024.

Global equity markets etched out modest gains during a week which saw further signs of cooling inflation from the US and Europe, along with an eagerly anticipated earnings announcement from one of the world’s largest companies.

The most closely watched data point was probably the US Labour Department’s release of its core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index on Friday morning.

Headline annual inflation in the eurozone also decelerated to 2.2% in August from 2.6% in July, the lowest level in three years and a shade above the ECB’s 2% target. Higher energy costs a year ago were partly responsible for the decline.

In company news, Nvidia published another impressive set of quarterly earnings.

Over the week US equities were slightly positive, up around 0.2% whilst US Technology fell almost 1% driven in part by the volatility of Nvidia following their ‘great’ but ‘not quite good enough’ earnings announcement.

In commodities gold futures pushed their record levels higher for the fifth week in a row, and the commodity briefly topped $2,560 per ounce on Friday morning.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 25th August 2024.

Global markets demonstrated resilience this week, with the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Jones all advancing by over 1%.

In his speech delivered at the Jackson Hole symposium, Powell signalled a potential shift in monetary policy, stating that "the time has come for policy to adjust."

Across the Atlantic, the Eurozone showed signs of economic momentum, with business activity picking up in August after stagnating in July.

In equity markets, U.S. stocks closed the week 1.4% higher, mirroring gains in European equities, as Powell's speech heightened expectations of an impending interest rate cut.

The increasing anticipation of interest rate cuts contributed to a volatile week for U.S.

In the commodities market, U.S. crude oil prices experienced a dip, with the price per barrel dropping to $71.46 on Wednesday—the lowest level in over six months.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this weeks AHR market review for the weeks ending the 16th August 2024.

The U.S. stock market saw a rebound, driven by optimistic inflation data and hopes for a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September.

European equities benefitted from the improved sentiment surrounding U.S. inflation data, although economic concerns continued to persist.

In Asia, markets were more mixed. Japan saw a sharp market downturn earlier in the month following a surprise interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), which sent shockwaves across global markets.

In commodities, oil prices continued to fluctuate due to geopolitical factors and supply constraints, especially as Russia and Saudi Arabia extended production cuts.

In summary, the week ended with market recovery in the U.S. and cautious optimism globally.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review, for the week ending 9th August 2024

The global stock markets saw a week of heightened volatility, driven by a mix of economic data releases, central bank actions, and sector-specific developments.

In the United States, the three major indices — the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite — showed mixed performances, with only slight changes by the end of the week.

European markets were similarly unstable.

In Asia, the Japanese stock market was notably volatile, with the Nikkei 225 fluctuating throughout the week.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index ended the week slightly lower as concerns over the country's economic growth continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Indian markets also faced challenges during the week.

Commodities markets mirrored the unease in equities, with gold prices inching higher as investors sought safe-haven assets, with gold futures trading around $2,470 per ounce by the end of the week.

Overall, the week was characterized by cautious trading as investors grappled with mixed economic signals, central bank actions, and sector-specific developments.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 4th August 2024.

An eventful week for markets saw a host of central bank rate decisions and volatility towards the back end of the week following unexpected employment data released from the US Labour Department.

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to near a three-year high of 4.3% in July amid a significant slowdown in hiring, heightening fears the labour market was deteriorating and potentially making the economy vulnerable to a recession.

Whilst earlier in the week the US Federal Reserve meeting went as expected with rates held steady, the Bank of England cut its key interest rate by a quarter point to 5.00%, its first reduction to borrowing costs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

Companies representing nearly 40% of the S&P 500’s market capitalization reported second-quarter earnings during the week, including four of the Magnificent Seven—Microsoft, Meta Platforms (Facebook), Apple, and Amazon.com.

The US Technology index entered correction territory during the week as it has now fallen 10% from it’s recent high, down 3.4% for the week.

The shifting interest-rate outlook and fresh economic data fuelled a price rally for government bonds, sending the yield of the 10-year U.S.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.

Welcome to this week’s AHR market review for the week ending 28th July 2024.

The S&P 500 and NASDAQ experienced their second consecutive weekly decline amid volatile trading, while the Dow Jones bucked the trend, marking its fourth straight weekly gain.

In a surprising turn, the U.S. economy expanded at a faster-than-expected pace in the second quarter, driven by robust consumer spending and business investment.

The increase in GDP was bolstered by inventory accumulation and heightened government expenditure.

The Commerce Department also released data on core personal consumption expenditures (PCE), excluding food and energy, which rose slightly more than expected by 0.2% in June.

The continued deflationary trend seems to have solidified market expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September.

As we progress through the second-quarter earnings season, approximately 41% of S&P 500 companies have reported results, with earnings on track to increase by 9.7% year-on-year, surpassing initial estimates of 9% growth at the end of the first quarter.

The most significant positive earnings surprises are emerging from the financials, energy, and healthcare sectors, rather than technology and other growth sectors.

US equities fell almost 1% for the week whilst US technology dropped off over 2%. As the rotation in US equities continues, US value rose over 0.5%.

That’s all for this week’s AHR Weekly Podcast. Thank you for listening and for further investment insights head over to ahrprivatewealth.com.