The Strength of the Market is: Strong

Last week, stocks gained as investors digested the latest inflation data, which likely provides further incentive for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates this week (Wednesday afternoon). Last week, the S&P 500 was up 0.3%, while the Nasdaq added almost 1% and the Dow Jones gained 0.5%.

Economic reports from last week came back mixed:

•Employment (Private) - lower than expectation

•Vehicle Sales - higher than expectation

•Consumer Sentiment - higher than expectation

•Personal Income - in-line with expectation

•Consumer Credit - lower than expectation

•Jobless Claims - lower than expectation

This week, investors will look for guidance from economic reports like Small Business Optimism, Job Openings, Labor Productivity, Inflation and Jobless Claims.