Market Outlook US stocks end February in the red

 

US Markets Stock futures fell overnight on positive economic data from China after the three main indexes ended February in the red. The Dow lost 4.19% in February, the S&P dropped 2.61%, and the Nasdaq fell 1.11%.  Lowe's and Kohl's are set to report their earnings today, providing investors with more insight into retail spending.  Salesforce, Okta, and Snowflake will also report earnings later today.  The current 10 Year U.S. Treasury yield is set at 3.93380% Dow Jones  32,656.70 -0.71% S&P 500  3,970.15 -0.30% Nasdaq  11,455.54 -0.10% Russell 2000 1,896.99 0.04% *Stock Market data as of the last closing bell. Data received directly from the reference indexes through ICE Data Services. Do you not understand any of these figures?

Canadian Markets Data from Statistics Canada shows that the country's economy didn't grow in Q4 2022.  After five straight quarters of growth, the Canadian economy registered 0.0% growth in the last three months of 2022, whereas Statistics Canada had forecast a 1.6% expansion for the quarter. In its report, Statistics Canada said that lower inventories of manufacturing goods, as well as retail and wholesale products, put downward pressure on growth in Q4. The Canadian economy shrunk by 0.1% in December but according to a provisional estimate, it grew 0.3% in January. TSX  20,221.19 -0.19% *Canadian stock prices are as of the last close. Data received directly from the references indexes through ICE Data Services

European Markets European markets closed lower on Tuesday amid limited trading activity.  The Stoxx 600 fell 0.3% on the day but finished the month up 2.07%.  Santander gained 4.8% on Tuesday after announcing that it will raise the return on tangible equity ratio. This was part of a larger rise in the banking industry, which rose 1.4%.  The worst-performing sector was healthcare, which fell 1.5%.  Euro STOXX 50  4,238.38 -0.23% UK (FTSE 100)  7,876.28 -0.74% Germany (DAX)  15,365.14 -0.11% France (CAC 40) 7,267.93 -0.38% *European stock prices are as of 7 am ET. Data received directly from the reference indexes through ICE Data Services.

Asian Markets Stocks in Asia rose on Wednesday morning following the release of economic data from several countries.  In China, the country's National Bureau of Statistics said that the manufacturing purchasing index rose to 52.6 in February, its highest level in over a decade.  Australia's GDP grew 2.7% in 2022, down from the 5.9% growth rate recorded in 2021.  South Korea's $12.65B trade deficit in January is expected to drop to $5.3B in February, according to preliminary data.  S&P Asia 50 4,654.45 2.25% Japan (Nikkei 225) 27,485.55 0.15% South Korea (KOSPI) 2,412.85 0.42% China (Hang Seng) 20,451.95 3.37% India (SENSEX) 59,297.97 0.57% *Asian stock prices are as of 7 am ET. Data received directly from the reference indexes through ICE Data Services.

Commodities Oil prices were up on Tuesday as investors foresee stronger demand following the release of positive economic data from China.  Brent and West Texas Intermediate both gained 1.8% on the day.  Brent lost 0.7% in February, while West Texas Intermediate dropped 2.5%.  OPEC countries produced 29.97 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) in February, an increase of 150,000 bpd versus January.  Oil (NYSEARCA:OIL) 29.14 1.11% Gold (NYSEARCA:GLD) 169.78 0.46% Silver (NYSEARCA:SLV) 19.22 1.53% Corn (NYSEARCA:CORN) 25.06 -1.65% Lumber (NASDAQ:WOOD) 73.69 0.40% *Commodity prices are as of 7 am ET. Data from MarketWatch. To understand why investors track the prices of these commodities,.

Currency Exchange Rates The U.S. Dollar rose slightly on Tuesday due primarily to changes in other currencies.  The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.09% on the day to finish the month up nearly 3%.  February was the first positive month for the U.S. Dollar since September 2022.  The Chinese Yuan, New Zealand, and Australian Dollar all fell on Tuesday.  UK(GBP) £0.83 -0.73% Europe (EURO) €0.94 -0.32% Canada (Canadian Dollar) $1.36 0.18% Japan (Yen) ¥136.42 0.01% *Exchange rates as of 7 am ET. Data from Morningstar Financial Research. To understand why we track these currencies and the differences between them, .

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin rose slightly on Tuesday but is still stuck between the $23,500 and $25,000 price points, both of which are considered key psychological barriers.  Goldman Sachs could grow its Digital Assets team after the bank used its tokenization platform to issue digital bonds for Hong Kong last week.  Analysts believe that as the U.S. continues to tighten regulations around crypto markets, the crypto industry will see strong growth in Asia. Aurox is seeking to raise up to $1M in a crowdfunding campaign at a $75M valuation.  Bitcoin $23,788.50 1.23% Ethereum $1,658.75 3.32% Litecoin $97.13 3.55% Bitcoin Cash $134.98 -0.04% *Exchange rates as of 7 am ET. Data from Morningstar Financial Research. To understand why we track these currencies and the differences between them,.