Market Week: May 9, 2022
The Markets (as of market close May 6, 2022)
Stocks ended last week lower, marking the fifth consecutive week of losses. Despite suggestions from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that the central bank is not likely to raise interest rates by 75 basis points, stubbornly high inflation has set the Fed on a path of quantitative tightening and interest-rate advances that presents a risk to economic growth. April’s solid jobs numbers (see below) suggest employers may be inclined to keep raising wages in order to attract workers, adding to inflationary pressures. Once again, tech shares took the brunt of the sell off, with only energy shares and utility stocks posting gains. The Nasdaq and the Russell 2000 each fell more than 1.2% last week, while the S&P 500 extended its losing streak after slipping 0.2%. Treasury bond prices continued to drop, pushing yields higher. Crude oil prices advanced again last week on supply concerns fueled by the impending European Union sanctions on Russian oil.