Markets
Trade developments and continued momentum pushed all three major averages to modest gains again for a shortened holiday trading week.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.72 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added 1.62 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2.30 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, increased 0.19 percent for the week through Thursday.1,2
Stocks Gain last week, fireworks on display
Stocks continued their momentum from the prior week’s records following Canada’s rescinding of its digital services tax, rising on optimism as investors waited for more news on trade.3
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq took a breather on July’s first trading day, while the Dow Industrials posted a modest gain. Then, stocks rallied after the news of the trade deal with Vietnam, moving past the latest ADP employment report, which showed reduced jobs last month for the first time in two years.4
In a quick retort to the ADP report, a better-than-expected June jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics gave stocks another boost, reassuring investors that the U.S. economy was weathering trade and geopolitical shocks. The S&P and Dow hit record highs as the short trading week ended.
Jobs Report Mostly Positive, 147,000 new jobs created
The labor report for June had a few points for investors to cheer. First, employers added 147,000 jobs in June—that was 37,000 higher than economists were expecting. Unemployment ticked down to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent. Previously reported job gains from April and May were revised upward by 16,000.5
Still, companies are in a “no hire, no fire” mode as they wait to see how trade policy impacts the economy. Caveats to the headline numbers: most gains were seen in government and healthcare. Several other sectors, including manufacturing and professional services, were flat or diminished.6
The takeaway: good news overall, but uncertainty still lingers beneath the employment surface.