The Week on Wall Street
Stocks powered to another week of gains as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite set multiple new record highs along the way.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was essentially unchanged while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose by 0.72%. The Nasdaq Composite index added 2.65% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slipped 0.71%.[1][2][3]
The S&P 500 Sets Record High
The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Tuesday, erasing the steep losses suffered in February and March. The recovery has been powered by unprecedented monetary accommodation, fiscal stimulus, and investor willingness to look ahead with confidence that global economies will get past the pandemic challenge. Technology stocks continued to lead the market and helped push the NASDAQ Composite to new highs.[4]
Stocks were mixed as the week progressed amid some weak economic news, a message of economic caution from the Fed, and continuing uncertainty over a new fiscal stimulus plan.Technology momentum provided support for the broader market, with a late Friday afternoon rally pushing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to close out the week at fresh record highs.[5]
Not All Sectors Are Participating
Behind last Tuesday’s headline that the S&P 500 had set a new record high lies a story of a deeply bifurcated market.
Despite a new high, more than half the companies in the index were still trading below where they began the year. When dissected on an industry sector basis, the year-to-date performance dispersion was quite wide, with sectors like Technology (+25.53%), Consumer Discretionary (+16.68%), and Communication Services (+12.70%) posting strong performance, while Energy (-37.56%) and Financials (-20.08%) remained sharply down. In fact, nearly half (5 out of 11) of S&P 500 sectors were still in negative territory year-to-date.[6][7][8]
[1] The Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2020
[2] The Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2020
[3] The Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2020
[4] The Wall Street Journal, August 18, 2020
[5] CNBC, August 19, 2020
[6] BBC News, August 18, 2020
[7] FactSet.com, August 21, 2020
[8] FactSet.com, August 21, 2020
