Financial Markets were up and down, at times violently, throughout last week as investors weighed new inflation data. With inflation coming in hotter-than-expected, the Federal Reserve looks set to continue with its aggressive rate hiking plan. Until interest rate increases are slowed down, conditions for a sustained stock market rally do not appear to be in place. For the week, the Dow Jones was up more than 1%, while both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended the week lower.
Economic reports from last week came back mixed: •Small Business Optimism - higher than expectation •Retail Sales - lower than expectation •Consumer Sentiment - higher than expectation •Jobless Claims - higher than expectation This week, investors will look for guidance from economic reports like Manufacturing, Housing and Jobless Claims.