Weekly Market Commentary

8/9/21 COVID UPDATE: DELTA VARIANT MARKET IMPACT

Barry Gilbert, PhD, CFA, Asset Allocation Strategist, LPL Financial

The highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 now makes up an overwhelming majority of the new cases in the U.S., bringing with it a rise in cases and hospitalizations. Widespread vaccine distribution and distancing measures have helped limit the variant’s impact, but we could still see some drag on economic growth as some restrictions are reintroduced and consumers potentially become more cautious. While we may see an increase in market volatility due to the Delta variant, we believe the S&P 500 is still likely to see more gains through the end of the year.

Weekly Market Commentary

8/2/21 FIVE THINGS TO KNOW HEADING INTO AUGUST

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial
Jeff Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Barry Gilbert, CFA, Asset Allocation Strategist, LPL Financial

Last week was a huge news week, from the Fed, to gross domestic product (GDP), to a giant week of earnings reports. In this commentary we review the big events from last week, while also looking ahead to what could be an eventful August for investors.

Weekly Market Commentary

7/26/21 SIX SURPRISES SO FAR IN 2021

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial
Jeff Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Thomas Goulder, CFA, Senior Analyst, LPL Financial

2021 has been a very strong year for both stocks and the economy, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some surprises. In this commentary, we take a look at some things that have happened so far in 2021 that have surprised the LPL Research team.

Weekly Market Commentary

7/19/21 MIDYEAR OUTLOOK 2021: PICKING UP SPEED

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial
Jeff Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Scott Brown, CMT, Senior Analyst, LPL Financial

It is hard to believe we have passed the halfway point of 2021. After a 2020 that would never end, the first six months of 2021 flew by. With the second half underway, we have updated our views of the markets and economy in our Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking up Speed Webinar on 8/3 @ 12:00pm PST. In this commentary, we provide a summary of those expectations covering the economy, policy, stocks and bonds.

Weekly Market Commentary

7/12/21 Three Things to Watch This Earnings Season

Jeffrey Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial

We ran out of superlatives to describe corporate America’s stunning performance during first-quarter earnings season. Despite lofty expectations, results exceeded those by one of the biggest margins ever. So what will companies do for an encore? We expect more good news this quarter as more of the economy has opened up, while also acknowledging the second quarter will almost certainly end up being the peak in earnings growth for this cycle. Here, we highlight what to watch.

Weekly Market Commentary

6/28/21 Three Things That Worry Us

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial
Jeff Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Scott Brown, CMT, Senior Analyst, LPL Financial

Markets are off to a strong start this year, with the S&P 500 Index up about 14% so far. However, most of those gains came early in the year, and many stocks have stagnated over recent months. While we remain overweight on stocks relative to bonds, this week we explore three things that worry us—and could make the market more susceptible to a pullback as we enter the second half of 2021.

Weekly Market Commentary

6/21/21 Inflation and What the Fed is Saying

Barry Gilbert, PhD, CFA, Asset Allocation Strategist, LPL Financial
Lawrence Gillum, CFA, Fixed Income Strategist, LPL Financial

Inflation has been on the rise. Investors are not as interested in what’s happening now as they are in what’s happening next. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve (Fed) shared its views at the conclusion of its last policy meeting on Wednesday, June 16. And while the Fed’s position that inflation is likely to be transitory has become stronger, not weaker, Fed members have seemingly different opinions on the future path of monetary support.

Weekly Market Commentary

6/14/21 Sustainable Investing Becoming Mainstream in Fixed Income

Jason Hoody, CFA, Head of Sustainable Investing, LPL Financial
Lawrence Gillum, CFA, Fixed Income Strategist, LPL Financia

On May 27, 2021, a couple of events in the energy sector occurred that demonstrated the continued mainstreaming of sustainable investing and underscored the risks and opportunities available to investors. While primarily thought of as equity-oriented, sustainable investing is becoming more mainstream in fixed income markets—and companies that fail to acknowledge changing dynamics may potentially face financially material impacts.

Weekly Market Commentary

6/7/21 POLICY SHIFTS MAY CHALLENGE MARKETS

Barry Gilbert, PhD, CFA, Asset Allocation Strategist, LPL Financial
Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial

Fiscal stimulus, which was central to the market rebound in the last year, may start moving to the sidelines over the rest of 2021 and into 2022 as the recovery continues. Economic growth can compensate for the loss of government checks to households and businesses, but potential tax increases may be more challenging for markets to navigate. Business tax increases, in particular, may gradually pull gains out of markets about equal to their size, but with economic growth supporting corporate earnings, we believe a positive backdrop for equities remains in place.

Weekly Market Commentary

6/1/21 PROCEED WITH CAUTION IN THE BOND MARKET

Lawrence Gillum, CFA, Fixed Income Strategist, LPL Financial

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial

After one of the worst starts to a year for fixed income, returns may not get much better from here. Long-term interest rates have traded sideways recently but we expect rates to potentially rise further, which would put downward pressure on bond prices. We’re not giving up on high-quality fixed income though, as Treasury securities have shown to be the best diversifier during times of equity market stresses.

Weekly Market Commentary

5/24/21 STOCK MARKET GAINS LIKELY TO SLOW

Jeffrey Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial

After one of the best starts to a bull market in history, the rally has started to show signs of fatigue. A strong economic recovery lies ahead as the re-opening continues, bolstering a very strong earnings outlook that is helping stocks grow into elevated valuations. However, in the second half of the year, as inflationary pressures build, interest rates potentially rise further, and this bull market gets a little older, the pace of stock market gains will likely slow and come with more volatility.

Weekly Market Commentary

5/17/21 ECONOMY PICKING UP SPEED

The economic recovery continues, as the recipe of vaccines, the reopening, and record stimulus all have combined to produce what should be one of the best years for growth ever. Although some economic indicators could be peaking or about to peak, the stage is set for this cycle of growth to continue for many years, which may surprise some investors. We discuss why inflation might be in the headlines, but still shouldn’t be a major worry for investors.

Weekly Market Commentary

5/10/21 Amazing Earnings Season

It’s embarrassing to admit this but in our earnings season preview on April 12, when the consensus estimate reflected a nearly 24% increase, we wrote that S&P 500 Index earnings growth for the first quarter could potentially exceed 30%. Fast forward to today and earnings growth for the quarter is on pace to double—yes, double—that 24% growth rate, which would mark one of the biggest upside surprises ever recorded. Here we look at how corporate America produced such a blowout earnings season and what it could mean for the outlook.

Weekly Market Commentary

4/26/21 Is All the Good News Priced In?

Last week we discussed whether stock prices might be reflecting peak optimism. In that commentary we noted that while sentiment may be overly optimistic and a pickup in volatility would be totally normal, strong breadth measures suggest stocks still may have more upside. This week we tackle that same topic of peak optimism, but by looking at some valuation metrics. While valuations are elevated, they still appear reasonable when factoring in interest rates and inflation.

Earth Day 2021

4/22/21 Aligning with Sustainable Investing

On April 22, the world will mark the 51st Earth Day. This year’s theme will be Restore Our Earth. It represents a chance to learn about the environmental challenges we face today, ways to become more involved, and ways to align one’s personal choices in order to make a positive impact. You can do your part by investing in socially responsible (sustainable) funds. Contact us to find out how.

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