Financial News and Portfolio Management Discussion through March 11th

All the news you need to stay informed about what’s currently driving the market – courtesy of Raffa Wealth Management, LLC.

US stocks posted their first down week since January on a decline in oil prices. Oil fell below $50 to $48.49 a barrel and dropped 9.1% for the week.  The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% and the Dow fell 0.5% for the week.  Internationally, Japan rose 0.7%, while Europe was off 0.5% for the week.  The yield on the 10 year Treasury reached its highest level this year rising to 2.58% driven by expectations of the Fed hiking the Fed funds rate at its March meeting.  Article

Job growth maintained its steady pace with 235,000 jobs added topping expectations. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.7%.  Average earnings rose to 2.8% from a year earlier.  The strong report provides additional support for the Fed to make an interest rate hike at their next meeting.  Article

The ECB said they will not reduce the bond purchase program they have in place or cut it short despite recent positive economic news from the country bloc. Draghi did state that it’s unlikely they will need to continue past the end of this year.

South Korean authorities are bringing bribery and corruption charges against the de facto leader of Samsung.

GM sold its Opel unit to France’s Peugeot.

 

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Raffa Wealth Management is an independent investment advisor providing nonprofit organizations, high net-worth investors, and qualified retirement plans with a full range of investment consulting services.  We were established to fill the need for transparency, clarity, and vision in the professional management of investment assets.   Visit us at www.raffawealth.com

 

There is no guarantee that any investment strategy, including those described here, will be successful. Any investment or investment strategy can lose money. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future results. You should not assume that any discussion or information contained herein serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Raffa Wealth Management, LLC. This information was gathered from reliable sources, but we cannot guarantee accuracy. Indexes do not reflect the fees associated with actual investments and such fees would reduce the performance illustrated. Source: FMG Suite, LLC.
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