| Total Returns % |
1 Week |
YTD |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average |
-1.03% |
+4.03% |
| NASDAQ Composite |
-2.48% |
+2.36% |
| S&P 500 Index |
-1.28% |
+3.71% |
| Russell 2000 |
-2.69% |
+2.45% |
| U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
+0.58% |
-0.11% |
| MSCI All Country World |
-2.18% |
+1.79% |
Source: Yahoo! Finance. Data through 3-11-11
This past week was bad across the board for global markets. In particular, Japan’s market really took a hit with the earthquake. My thoughts and prayers to Japan, and hopefully containment of their nuclear power plant risks.
Global markets are under loads of pressure at this point with Europe debt issues creeping back into the news, high tension in the Middle East, surging oil and food prices, the ongoing issues with the US economy, and now a catastrophic earthquake in Japan. Japan is the world’s third largest economy, so various sectors are bound to be impacted negatively. Some of the sectors expected to be impacted are tourism (peak season for cherry blossoms is approaching) and automakers.
The release of the February Producer Price Index (PPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers this week should give insight into the impact of inflation in the US. However, the numbers will be inflated slightly since the rise in oil appears to be due to speculators trading instead of supply/demand.
Would you like an analysis of your current investment portfolio? Call me to schedule your free consultation- 913.693.7918.
John P. Chladek, MBA, CFP® is the President of Chladek Wealth Management, LLC, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm specializing in helping families and couples who are not yet retired realize their financial goals. For more information, visit http://www.chladekwealth.com.