Stocks posted their fourth straight week of gains on fourth quarter earnings, dovish statements by the fed and optimism an agreement will eb worked out between the US and china. US stocks are up 13% since Christmas Eve. The S&P 500 rose 2.9% and the Dow was up 3.0% for the week. Internationally, Japan climbed 1.5% and Europe gained 2.2% for the week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury settled at 2.79%, up over the week. Oil has also rallied, up 27% from its December low.
Chinese exports fell unexpectedly in December adding to worries about the country’s economy.
Parliament overwhelmingly voted against the latest Brexit deal proposed by PM May, but she survived a no confidence vote.
Germany’s GDP grew 1.5% in 2018 down from 2.2% in 2017 and the slowest pace since 2013.
ECB head Draghi said the eurozone economy had weakened driven primarily by China.
Officials from the Bank of China said they would step up efforts to stimulate the economy.
Tesla announced it’s cutting its staff by 7%.
Corporate earnings are expected to increase 11% in the fourth quarter over the prior year and to date they are topping expectations.