It was a rollercoaster ride for investors on Wall Street last week, with plenty of ups and downs. Despite concerns about the banking system's stability, the major stock indexes managed to finish on a positive note, with gains overall.
Investors last week showed huge signs of safety, as bond yields dipped since many opted to invest in Treasuries. The price of gold was close to record highs, and on Friday we saw an increase in demand for stocks in sectors like utilities, healthcare, and consumer staples.
For the week the Dow gained 1.3%, the S&P 500 rose 1.5%, and the Nasdaq increased by 1.7%. On Friday, there was a mixed bag of results for financial firms as some fared better than others. Big U.S. institutions and European banks experienced losses, but there were some positive signs as several regional banks showed signs of recovery after a recent selloff.
Investors were on the lookout for potential problem areas in the wake of recent financial collapses, including Credit Suisse's forced sale to UBS their recent buyer, as well as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and two other U.S. lenders. This led to a sharp drop in the value of Deutsche Bank shares listed in Frankfurt, which fell by 8.5% and caused other European banks to follow suit with losses of their own.
The Federal Reserve made an announcement that they would be increasing interest rates by a quarter point. However, they also hinted that this could be one of the few hikes in the near future, citing positive signs in the economy.
Written by: Jeffrey Nugent