Market Week: February 21, 2022
The Markets (as of market close February 18, 2022)
Last week, Wall Street reacted to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict by moving from stocks to bonds, the dollar, and gold. Investors were faced with rising fears that a Russian invasion of the Ukraine will engulf Europe and the United States, worsen global supply bottlenecks, and further accelerate inflation. Stocks continued to track lower despite solid fourth-quarter earnings growth. Each of the market sectors ended the week lower, with the exception of consumer staples, which managed to eke out a 0.1% gain. Information technology dipped over 1.0%, helping to pull the Nasdaq down 1.8% for the week. The Global Dow and the Dow led the declines among the benchmark indexes listed here. Long-term Treasury yields slipped two basis points. Crude oil prices fell nearly $2.00 to $91.56 per barrel. Gold prices continued to show strength, advancing for the second consecutive week.