Equity Markets Were Mixed Last Week

Investors were confronted with plenty of market-moving information last week as they waded through negative developments and some positive signs. Growing tensions in the Middle East and a slowdown in the manufacturing sector were causes for concern, while a better-than-expected jobs report helped alleviate some of those worries, at least for a time. The S&P 500, the NASDAQ and the Dow ended a very volatile week in positive territory, while the Russell 2000 and the Global Dow closed the week lower. Among the market sectors, energy surged by more than 8.5%, while communication services, financials and industrials also closed higher. The remaining sectors declined, led by real estate and materials. Ten-year Treasury yields surged to their highest level in nearly two months as the robust labor report cooled expectations that the Federal Reserve needed to aggressively cut interest rates.

Unemployment Rate Fell Slightly in September

The employment sector showed signs of life in September. Total employment expanded by 254,000 last month, exceeding expectations and well above the 12-month average of 203,000. The September increase follows upward revisions to both the July and August estimates, which combined were 72,000 higher than previously reported. The unemployment rate, at 4.1%, ticked down 0.1 percentage point from August. The labor force participation rate was unchanged at 62.7%. In September, average hourly earnings increased by $0.13, or 0.4%, to $35.36. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.0%.

Eye on the Week Ahead

The latest inflation data is available this week, with the release of the Consumer Price Index for September. The CPI inched up 0.2% in August and 2.5% since August 2023. Most forecasters predict September’s data should be in line with the data from August.