Financial

Equity markets traded sideways and in a fairly narrow range last week, with the S&P 500 Index declining just 28 basis points (bsp). The Russell 2000 Index, which represents small-cap stocks, was the best performer, gaining 40 bps.

Despite all the hype in the media surrounding the Federal Reserve (the Fed) meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, last week, the event turned out to be a dud, with European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi backing out at the last minute and no real news from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Read more now.

Treasury yields were down considerably last week after the Federal Reserve (the Fed) released its meeting minutes, which seemed to suggest that more quantitative easing might be in the cards. The 10-year yield stood at 1.64 percent late last week. Read more now.

Equity markets continued to move higher last week. The S&P 500 gained 0.95 percent,but it was the Russell 2000 and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite that posted the best performance, as investors showed a renewed appetite for risk assets. Read more now.

Equity markets quietly posted another week of strong performance. The S&P 500 Index gained 1.15 percent while international
indices fared even better. Read more now.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury was higher late last week—it stood just below 1.60 percent—but it moved back down to 1.54 percent when, over the weekend, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti expressed concerns of a European breakup.
Read more now.

At 1.44 percent, the 10-year Treasury yield was close to a historical low early Monday as continued concerns out of Europe pushed investors to the perceived safe haven. The yield stood at 1.51 percent one week ago. Read more now in our Weekly Market Summary.

The 10-year Treasury yield stood at 1.51 percent early Monday morning, down from the previous week when it was as high as 1.66 percent. Investors turned to these safer assets on news of weaker-than-expected job numbers, continued concerns out of Spain, and an apparent third round of quantitative easing (QE3) that may come sooner than anticipated. Read more now.

After four days of back-and-forth trading to start the week, equities decidedly moved to rally mode after the eurozone agreement. The S&P 500 Index gained 2.08 percent for the week. Strength in the financials sector helped boost value over growth, and small-cap stocks outperformed large-cap peers. Read more now in our Weekly Market Summary.

The Federal Reserve announced the extension of Operation Twist at last Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The program, which was set to end on June 30, was increased by $267 billion and will extend through the end of 2012. The next FOMC meeting is Aug. 1. Read more now.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury was down to 1.52 percent early Monday morning on speculation that Spain will need a global
bailout, along with continued uncertainty in the aftermath of the Greek elections. The 10-year had retreated to 1.66 percent after
reaching an historical low of 1.43 percent on June 1.

Meanwhile, after a very measured pullback that started several weeks ago, domestic equities shrugged off the European news and marched higher last week. The S&P 500 Index was up 1.34 percent. Read more now.