Fast food for thought
Insights and research on global events shaping the markets
The major US equity indexes ended mixed for the week as Q1 earnings season neared its end. The Nasdaq outperformed, helped by a surge in Alphabet following the unveiling of its new AI-based search platform. The Dow Jones lagged, weighed down by Disney. Financials stocks underperformed, dragged lower by ongoing concerns over the strains facing certain regional banks.
With a handful of stocks contributing to it’s perfomance, the S&P500 is up nearly 8% YTD, U.S. unemployment rate fell to a record low of 3.4% and the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
The Friday rally didn’t save the week Despite a rally on Friday, the S&P 500 Index ended the week lower on comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell that suggested a pivot to cutting rates might not occur as quickly as the market had hoped. Unease around the U.S. debt ceiling may also have weighed on sentiment, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified congressional leaders in a letter that the agency might not be able to meet its debt obligations “potentially as early as June 1.” Within the S&P 500, Tech stocks fared the best while Energy shares pulled back in sympathy with the price of WTI crude oil.
JP Morgan wins the bidding to acquire First Republic, April was an overall positive month for US equities, and should we sell in May and go away? Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
Stocks recorded mixed returns this week as attention focused on earnings reports. 35% of S&P 500 Index companies (or 44% of its market capitalization) were scheduled to release results during the week. Meta and Microsoft jumped while other FAANGs were mixed. Cyclical sectors generally performed poorly, however, as investors weighed several new signs of an economic slowdown.
The banking crisis in the US may not be over with deposits at U.S. commercial banks continuing to fall, hitting their lowest level since April 2021. Also, interesting timing for Apple to announce the launch of a savings account via a partnership with Goldman Sachs. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
The major US equity indices ended mixed following a week while the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s so-called fear gauge, fell to its lowest level since late 2021. 88 S&P 500 Index companies had reported earnings as of Friday. Financials outperformed overall during the week despite a brief plunge in shares of Goldman Sachs after the investment banking giant missed consensus revenue estimates.
US inflation continues to decelerate, the Dow Jones rose for the fourth week in a row and US banks' requests for liquidity from the US Federal Reserve are down for the 4th consecutive week. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
The Dow Jones was up for a 4th week in a row as investors weighed slowing growth signals against signs that inflation pressures were receding a bit more than expected. In the US, Materials and industrials shares outperformed while Technology lagged mainly due to NVIDIA decline. Banking giants JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup kicked off Q1 earnings season. All three topped consensus estimates and brought some relief to investors.
US employment numbers in line with consensus expectations, US bank deposits are down again for 10th consecutive week with a knock-on effect for US bank loans, which are at a record low. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
Investing with intelligence
Our latest research, commentary and market outlooks

