Friends

Stocks got off to a good start for the week and now we have had two nice up days in a row after last Friday’s rally. Again, was that it, a 10% correction and now we are off to races? Probably not. But, as I mentioned Friday, it’s nice to see stocks go up after a couple of rough weeks. We have a Fed meeting starting tomorrow with the statement and the Fed Chair’s press conference on Wednesday. We don’t expect any change in interest rate policy, but it will be interesting to hear what is on the mind of the Fed Chair and the committee.

As for today, by the close the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 353 points to finish the day at 41,841. The S&P 500 was up 36 points to close at 5,675. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 54 points to close at 17,808. Gold was up $5 to trade at $3,006 per ounce, while oil was up $.33 to trade at $67.51 per barrel WTI.

Headlines will still likely affect stocks for a while. For instance, the President was expected to have a conversation with Russian President Putin today. Headlines on peace talks and tariff policies will continue to influence market participants as we move through the next couple of weeks towards the end of the 1st quarter. Let’s see how this week plays out and if anything from the Fed will get investor’s attention. We’ll bring it all to you. Stay tuned.

Have a nice evening everyone.

Jim