Market Update – February 7th, 2021

Hope all is well.  The major U.S. stock indexes posted weekly gains from around 4% to 6%, more than making up for the previous week’s losses. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ set new record highs, eclipsing their levels from a couple weeks earlier, while the Dow was just 0.001% shy of its record.  I have broken down this week’s news using Doritos Super Bowl commercials.

​Flamin’ Hot Limon Doritos 2019 Super Bowl

Small-cap stocks extended their recent run of  flamin’ hot performance relative to their larger company peers posting a nearly 8% gain to set another record high. Since the end of September 2020, the Russell 2000 has surged 48%.

Cool Ranch Doritos 2020 Super Bowl

The job market has cooled. The latest monthly jobs report fell short of most economists’ expectations, as the economy generated just 49,000 new jobs in January. In addition, December’s jobs estimate was revised downward to reflect a loss of 227,000 jobs for that month. Roughly 10 million U.S. jobs have been lost since the pandemic started.

Doritos For The Bold Super Bowl 2014

The weak U.S. jobs report was seen as a positive catalyst for stocks, which climbed modestly on Friday amid expectations that labor market stagnation could increase pressure for the Government to take bold action.  The Senate narrowly backed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan, setting up the prospect that the measure could eventually secure final approval through a reconciliation process with a simple majority in the Senate.

Enjoy the Super Bowl.  I am here to help at any time. If you would like to schedule a phone/web conference appointment, I have included a link to my calendar below and you can self schedule.

https://calendly.com/laurel-ws