Edward Jones-Financial Advisor: Emily Surritt

Some weeks are more consequential than others in shaping the market narrative, and last week was one of them.

The Federal Reserve delivered on what markets have been hoping for and anxiously anticipating over the past two years. Interest rates were cut by a larger-than-typical 0.5%, signaling a critical turning point in the monetary policy cycle.

We offer five key takes on what last week's announcement means for the economy and markets.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Investors focused in on inflation data last week, with markets continuing to filter the balance of consumer price trends and economic readings through the lens of what it means for Fed interest rate moves ahead.

We zoom in on key items that were in the frame last week, and then zoom out for a better view of the bigger picture for the markets.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Those who lost their lives on September 11th will always be in our hearts.

After last week's soft jobs report, markets continued their risk-off positioning that began in the seasonally volatile month of September. We share our view on the slowing labor market and recommendations for investors in the current backdrop.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

To frame the August swings, we examine what's changed, what hasn't and what the evolving conditions may mean for the road ahead.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Markets spent the past week largely treading water. While there were no major surprises, we do think the Federal Reserve's freshest commentary provided three key takeaways that will be important for markets ahead.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Markets over the past week continued to recover from the previous week's sharp pullback.

In our view, the backdrop of softer inflation and cooling but positive economic growth still points to a Fed that will likely begin cutting rates as soon as the September 18 FOMC meeting.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

For any investors that were looking the 2024 gift horse in the mouth, last week showed some teeth. We don't think the recent pullback should be patently dismissed, but panic is not the proper reaction either.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

The final week of July was a whirlwind, filled with a flurry of earnings reports, three central bank meetings and key labor market data. We look at five key turning points that may define performance in the months ahead.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

After more than 1 ½ years of large-cap growth sectors and the "Magnificent 7" leading the market, what has caused a somewhat sudden rotation away from the tech darlings? We highlight three key elements.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

As we kicked off 2024, one of our 10 key calls for the year was our view that while equity markets would continue to perform well, the market's underlying leadership would rotate, broadening out beyond 2023's Magnificent Seven concentration.

We take a look at how this recently showed up within three key market matchups, and what it may mean for investors' portfolios.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

After a 25% run higher in the S&P 500 over the past six months, the tone in the markets in recent weeks seems to have shifted. In our view, volatility has been sparked by a trifecta of recent data and news flow.

We share our take on three drivers of the recent market pullback in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Along with last week's solar eclipse came another seemingly rare event: the stock market turned lower, with hotter-than-expected inflation data eclipsing the enthusiasm around upcoming Fed rate cuts.

Although we've been of the view that the recent sharp market rally will eventually need to blink, more broadly, we still think there's a good case for investors to look up.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Employment conditions plus inflation trends equals Fed interest rate decisions. This is the calculus that has been guiding market performance for the past two years.

The first variable in that equation was in full focus last week as the latest jobs report provided a fresh look at the state of the labor market. While the better-than-expected results showed that the economy remains in good health, markets will continue to do the math on what this means for upcoming Fed actions.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we offer our take on the implications for markets as we advance.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

The last time the Fed achieved a soft landing was in 1995 when a successful pivot to rate cuts supported the start of a multi-year rally. Today, investors are hoping to achieve a similar outcome as most central banks are eyeing the start of rate cuts in the months ahead.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we examine the similarities and differences in the macroeconomic backdrop between now and the mid-'90s and offer our views of where the opportunities lie.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Last week, the Federal Reserve held its March Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting and press conference and also released an updated set of economic projections. We share our takeaways in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the bank crisis that saw the collapse of several regional banks, an episode that roiled financial markets as it sparked memories of banking system challenges in 2008.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we share a few perspectives on what's changed since the bank crisis and what it may mean for the investment landscape ahead.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

This past week, markets digested several datapoints that indicated the U.S. labor market may be showing early signs of fatigue.

In our view, given the ongoing easing in inflation and now more signs of a cooling labor market, the Fed likely remains on track to begin a rate-cutting cycle later this year, perhaps starting around the June meeting.

We share more of our takeaways in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Rising markets and low volatility always rank high on investor's wish lists. In the past four months, we've been fortunate to experience precisely that.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we share five takeaways from February's market performance.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

With the sharp rally sending the S&P 500 to a record high in recent days, you wouldn't think it would be hard for investors to find good news. We think the bull market looks to have runway ahead, but we also know that even the best markets run out of breath occasionally. In this latest installment of the Weekly Market Wrap, we offer three signs that can give investors confidence in the broader outlook for this market.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

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Although stocks recovered from a sharp drop after last week's CPI inflation report – and the S&P 500 even approached new all-time highs – investors may be feeling anxious.

Can inflation continue to moderate, as it has over the past year, even in the face of resilient economic growth? Or, is this a start of a trend in the wrong direction?

We share our views in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

It's February, which means love is in the air. But did you know that romance scams are on the rise? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be outlining how to spot a potential romance scam and how to protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to these scams. Learn more here:

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The S&P 500 crossed the 5,000 milestone, a fresh record high for the index. While 5,000 is an arbitrary number and simply an attention-grabbing psychological threshold, it is symbolic of the market's strength and resiliency in the face of a historically sharp adjustment in interest rates.

With the economy defying expectations for a slowdown and stocks having rallied about 20% over the past three months, investors are wondering what's next. Our latest Weekly Market Wrap shares our views on five common questions.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

All eyes were on the Fed last week, with the market's wagon remaining tightly hitched to the outlook for future monetary policy moves. The Fed kept its policy rate steady, but the primary focus was on the central bank's message that it intends to remain on hold a while longer.

While markets were hoping for a signal that rate cuts were coming sooner, incoming data, including the latest jobs report, continue to offer confidence that the economy is holding up well enough for the Fed to exercise some patience.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we offer our takes on what the latest Fed and employment news means for the markets ahead.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Over the past week, investors digested two key datapoints that continue to support the case for a soft landing in the U.S.: The S&P PMI data, for both services and manufacturing, were in expansionary territory in January, and fourth-quarter GDP growth exceeded forecasts, coming in at 3.3% annualized, versus expectations of 2.0% growth.

While these datapoints are backward looking, they support the narrative that the U.S. economy was not softening entering the new year. In fact, the data indicates that economic growth accelerated at the end of last year. Meanwhile, inflation also showed signs of moderation as we entered 2024.

Read more of our takeaways in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Despite pushing higher last week, markets in 2024 thus far can best be described as subdued.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we discuss three data points to watch as markets get through a bumpy January.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

"Inflation" and "the Fed" were two of the most used words in financial market commentary in 2023 as the economy continued to navigate an unconventional cycle. The first full trading week of 2024 brought a fresh read on consumer prices and more discussions about how the path of rates might look like.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we offer our take on the debate around the timing of potential rate cuts. Additionally, we share insights into where we see opportunities as markets potentially enter a choppier phase.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

2023 is over, and so too is the stock market's winning streak. After nine straight weeks of gains, the S&P 500 finally took a breather, falling slightly last week.

We'd chalk it up primarily to some beginning-of-the-year repositioning, as well as a to-be-expected break after a stellar 16% rally in the final two months of the year.

Last week brought fresh data on both the Fed and the labor market, and while it failed to fuel an extension to stocks' winning streak, we don't think it changes the broader direction as markets embark on their encore to last year's rebound.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we share a few takeaways on how these important factors are kicking off 2024.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

2023 started with depressed expectations and fears of a recession but ended with optimism and strong performance across most asset classes that make up a well-diversified portfolio.

The change of the calendar presents an opportunity to reflect and review some of the milestones that defined the economy and the markets over the past 12 months, along with our views on the potential implications for 2024.

Read more in our Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.