WEEKLY MARKET RECAP – NOVEMBER 22, 2024
U.S. stock indexes climbed approximately 2% this week, regaining much of the ground lost during the previous week’s decline. By Friday’s close, the Dow reached a new record high, surpassing its peak from just 11 days earlier. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 ended 0.5% below its record, and the NASDAQ closed 1.5% off its all-time high.
The Russell 2000, a U.S. small-cap stock benchmark, posted a strong weekly gain of 4.5%, driven by rallies on Thursday and Friday. This rebound offset the previous week’s 4.0% decline, bringing the index’s month-to-date November gain to nearly 10%, largely fueled by a post-election small-cap surge earlier in the month.
Large-cap value stocks outperformed their growth counterparts, narrowing the growth category’s year-to-date lead. The value index delivered a weekly return of 2.5%, compared with a 1.7% gain for the growth index.
The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index showed a slight decline in the first postelection reading. Friday’s final November figure fell to 71.8, down from a preliminary 73.0 reading based on a survey conducted the day before the November 5 election.
U.S. crude oil prices rebounded sharply, gaining more than 6% this week following a nearly 5% drop the week prior. By Friday afternoon, crude oil was trading just above $71 per barrel—roughly in line with its level at the start of the month but below the recent high of $77 recorded on October 7.
Nearly all S&P 500 companies have now reported third-quarter earnings, and the average earnings growth is expected to reach 5.8% compared with the same period last year, according to FactSet. If confirmed, this would mark the fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year earnings growth for the index.
Looking ahead, while Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday will shorten the trading week, key economic reports are due on Tuesday and Wednesday. These include the Federal Reserve’s release of minutes from its latest policy meeting, an inflation update, and a revised government estimate of third-quarter GDP growth.
Major U.S. Economic Reports
| Report | Period | Actual | Previous |
| Home builder confidence index | Nov. | 46 | 43 |
| Housing starts | Oct. | 1.31 million | 1.35 million |
| Building permits | Oct. | 1.42 million | 1.43 million |
| Initial jobless claims | Nov. 16 | 213,000 | 217,000 |
| Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey | Nov. | -5.5 | 10.3 |
| Existing home sales | Oct. | 3.96 million | 3.83 million |
| Leading economic index | Oct. | -0.3% | -0.5% |
| S&P flash U.S. services PMI | Nov. | 57.0 | 55.0 |
| S&P flash U.S. manufacturing PMI | Nov. | 48.8 | 48.5 |
| Consumer sentiment (final) | Nov. | 71.8 | 73.0 |
Closing Prices for the Week
| Contract | Close |
|---|---|
| Dow Jones Industrials Average | 44,296.51 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 19,003.65 |
| S&P 500 Index | 5,969.34 |
| CBOE Volatility Index | 15.24 |
| S&P GSCI | 547.19 |
| U.S. Dollar Index | 107.554 |
| 10-Year T-Note (Dec ’24) | 109-205 |
| Crude Oil WTI (Jan ’25) | 71.24 |
| Natural Gas (Jan ’25) | 3.287 |
| Gold (Dec ’24) | 2,712.2 |
| Silver (Dec ’24) | 31.338 |
| Corn (Mar ’25) | 435-2 |
| Wheat (Mar ’25) | 564-6 |
| Soybean (Jan ’25) | 983-4 |
| Coffee (Mar ’25) | 302.10 |
| Sugar #11 (Mar ’25) | 21.36 |
| Cocoa (Mar ’25) | 9,085 |
Trading futures and forex involves significant risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.