Stocks finished lower last week - the S&P 500 pulled back by 0.26%, while the Dow Jones fell 0.93% and the Nasdaq dropped by 1.17%. For the Dow Jones, it marked the worst since October. The latest jobs data showed some conflicting signals - the job numbers increased more than expected but the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked higher to 3.9%. The conflicting data makes it confusing to try to determine when it will be safe for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates. The hope is that inflation has cooled enough to appease the Federal Reserve.
Economic reports from last week came back mixed:
•Private Employment - lower than expectation
•Total Employment - higher than expectation
•Job Openings - in-line with expectation
•Consumer Credit - higher than expectation
•Unemployment Rate - higher than expectation
•Jobless Claims - in-line with expectation
This week, investors will look for guidance from economic reports like Small Business Optimism, Inflation, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Manufacturing and Jobless Claims.