Weekly Market Commentary
A shortened holiday week saw the manufacturing sector steady at a muted level and a services sector maintaining solid growth. However, it was the August Jobs Report on Friday that rocked financial markets. It reported a paltry 22,000 new jobs versus 79,000 the prior month. More importantly, the prior two months were revised down a net 21,000. That immediately generated concern about a possible recession, yet it further increased expectations for a Fed rate cut in September and possibly additional cuts in October and November. Globally, the economic news remained at a relative status quo. The S&P 500 ended the week at 0.33% with Foreign Developed at 0.26% and Emerging Markets at 1.42%. In the US, Small Caps again outperformed Large Caps, as a greater...... (click for more)