A Directionless Week- Weekly Market Update

April 26, 2021 | By Steven DiGregorio

Weekly Market Insights

The crosscurrents of strong corporate earnings, rising global cases of COVID-19, and the specter of higher capital gains taxes led to a choppy week of trading that left stock prices slightly lower for the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.46%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.13%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.25% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, dropped 0.47%.1,2,3

A Directionless Week

Despite continued better-than-expected corporate earnings, stocks retreated as concerns over rising global COVID-19 infections weighed on investor sentiment. A mid-week rally erased much of these losses, with reopening stocks and small cap companies leading the market.

The stock market resumed its decline in reaction to reports that President Biden supported a capital gains tax increase on wealthy Americans. The Biden news prompted worries that stocks could come under pressure this year if such an increase were to go into effect next year.

Solid economic reports, along with a reassessment of the capital gains news, helped stocks to bounce back and close out the week on a positive note.

Housing Shows Strength

Two housing market reports last week reflected strong consumer demand for homes.

Sales of new homes in March jumped by 20.7% from February and by more than 66% from last March, reaching levels not seen since 2006. All regions recorded double-digit gains, except for the West, which experienced a decline of 30%.4

Though existing home sales fell 3.7%, it wasn’t for lack of consumer interest, as evidenced by the 18-day average to sell a home. The decline was largely an issue of tight inventories. This demand/supply imbalance drove median home prices higher by 17.2% from March 2020 to $329,100.5

This Week: Key Economic Data

Monday: Durable Goods Orders.

Tuesday: Consumer Confidence.

Wednesday: Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Announcement.

Thursday: Jobless Claims. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Source: Econoday, April 23, 2021
The Econoday economic calendar lists upcoming U.S. economic data releases (including key economic indicators), Federal Reserve policy meetings, and speaking engagements of Federal Reserve officials. The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and may not materialize. The forecasts also are subject to revision.

This Week: Companies Reporting Earnings

Monday: Tesla, Inc. (TSLA).

Tuesday: Microsoft (MSFT), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), Visa (V), Alphabet, Inc. (GOOGL), Starbucks (SBUX), Amgen, Inc. (AMGN), Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), 3M Company (MMM), Texas Instruments (TXN), United Parcel Service (UPS), Mondelez International (MDLZ).

Wednesday: Apple, Inc. (AAPL), Facebook (FB), Boeing (BA), Ford Motor Company (F), Qualcomm (QCOM), Shopify, Inc. (SHOP), Servicenow, Inc. (NOW), Teladoc Health, Inc. (TDOC), Ebay (EBAY).

Thursday: Amazon.com (AMZN), Twitter, Inc. (TWTR), Mastercard (MA), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT), Merck & Company (MRK), McDonald’s Corporation (MCD), Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), American Tower Corporation (AMT).

Friday: Abbvie, Inc (ABBV), Chevron (CVX), Charter Communications (CHTR).

Source: Zacks, April 23, 2021
Companies mentioned are for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of the securities. Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or


Share the Wealth of Knowledge!
Please share this market update with family, friends, or colleagues. 
If you would like us to add them to our list, 
simply click on the “Forward email” link below. We love being introduced!


If you would like to opt-out of future emails, please reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

The content of this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer of investment advice, investment strategy or to buy, transfer or sell any security or other investment vehicle. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but Spire Wealth Management LLC, Spire Securities LLC and their affiliates, including Compass Asset Management Group LLC, do not guarantee its accuracy. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Spire Wealth Management LLC, Spire Securities LLC or its affiliates.

Spire Wealth Management LLC is a federally Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through an affiliate, Spire Securities LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC

By accessing any links contained in this article you will be leaving Spire Wealth Management LLC & its affiliates and Compass Asset Management Group LLC websites and entering a website hosted by another party. Although Spire Wealth Management LLC & its affiliates and Compass Asset Management Group LLC have approved these as reliable partner sites, please be advised that you will no longer be subject to, or under the protection of, the privacy and security policies of Spire Wealth Management LLC & its affiliates Compass Asset Management Group LLC websites. The other parties are solely responsible for the content of their websites. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies on the sites you are entering, which may be different than those of Spire Wealth Management LLC & its affiliates Compass Asset Management Group LLC.

Diversification does not guarantee profit nor is it guaranteed to protect assets.

International investing involves special risks such as currency fluctuation and political instability and may not be suitable for all investors.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

The Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and growth companies.

The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that serves as a benchmark of the performance in major international equity markets as represented by 21 major MSCI indices from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

You cannot invest directly in an index.

Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inflation risk, market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

By clicking on these links, you will leave our server, as the links are located on another server. We have not independently verified the information available through this link. The link is provided to you as a matter of interest. Please click on the links below to leave

Tags: capital gains tax, DowJones, Housing Market, NASDAQ

STEVEN M DIGREGORIO is President of Compass Asset Management Group, LLC and an Investment Advisor Representative with Spire Wealth Management, LLC.
Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Back to Results | |