The shortened trading week began with the approval of the Greek bailout payment by the eurozone finance ministers for Greece to receive the €130 billion bailout tranche.  Private sector investors in Greek debt will book losses of up to 53.5%, which will reduce Greece’s debt level by almost €100 billion.  US Equity markets responded positively, initially, with the Dow Industrial Average breaking through the 13,000 level for the first time since 2008, briefly before retreating on Tuesday.  

Even though there is still concern over the fiscal viability of Greece and the economic health of the eurozone region, investor focus shifted towards US economic releases and earnings reports.  The week saw moderate trading levels and relatively light volumes.  The S&P 500 Index managed to gain 4.51 points for the week to finish at 1365.74 and post its best closing …

US Equity markets managed to eke out gains for the week ending February 17th, 2012.  Throughout the week, Greece moved closer to qualifying for bailout funds and positive US economic data reports gave investors confidence and pushed the indices higher.  The S&P 500 Index closed at 1361.23 on Friday, up 18.59 for the week and the Dow rose 148.64 over the week, to finish at 12,949.87.

Early in the week, the Greek Parliament approved the austerity measures that were required to receive bailout funds, but uncertainty remained as to whether or not the eurozone finance ministers will release the next tranche.  By mid-week, the eurozone finance ministers announced they would once again withhold Greek bailout funds until they are certain that Greece will continue to implement spending cuts, even after the elections in April.  On Friday, it became clearer that Greece is highly likely to …

The markets finished lower for the week, even though three of the five trading days closed positive.  The prospect of a Greek default through the week troubled markets.  The S&P 500 Index lost 2.26 points this week, to finish on Friday at 1,342.64 and the Dow finished at 12,801.23, down 61 points.  The broad indices still managed to hold on to their year to date gains with the S&P 500 Index up 6.76% and the Dow up 4.81%.  The NASDAQ Index has been very strong year to date, posting gains of 11.47% through Friday.  

On Monday, Greece agreed to additional austerity measures and cut 15,000 civil service jobs but failed to agree to a debt agreement with private creditors.  Progress on Tuesday boosted optimism.  A Reuters report revealed that Greece was preparing documentation to satisfy the requirements for the next installment of bailout funds.  However, …

Tuesday marked the end of the first month of 2012.  Although the markets closed down across the board on Monday and Tuesday, the S&P 500 Index posted a 4.3% gain for the month and the Dow gained 3.4%, marking the best January for both indices since January 1997.  It was also the best January for the NASDAQ since 2001, up 8.01%.  January’s gains came on the heels of strong performance in the 4th quarter of 2011.  Both domestic and international factors fueled the enthusiasm.  US economic data has been showing signs of improvement and while the distress in Europe is far from being resolved, EU leaders have been cooperating and making decisions to move in the right direction.

The ADP report on private sector payrolls showed a 170,000 increase in January but fell short of expectations of an 182,000 increase.  Despite the shortfall, the momentum …