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Stocks Gain
Last week, financial markets were volatile. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which is known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, rose to the highest level in four years before cooling down. “While spikes in the VIX often coincide with deep market sell-offs, they can also be short-lived and precede a rebound for stocks,” reported Jesse Pound of CNBC.
Investor uncertainty contributed to market fluctuations last week. For example, some investors:
Were unsettled by economic data. Markets stuttered after a weaker-than-expected jobs report. Some investors panicked, believing the United States might be headed for a recession rather than a soft landing.
On Thursday, investors regained some confidence after data showed the number of people filing for unemployment claims was lower than expected. The information suggested the labor market remained solid. The subsequent rally was unexpected because jobless claims don’t normally move the market, reported Barron’s.
Were concerned about geopolitical risks. Recently, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey and Jordan all warned their citizens to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible on fears that hostilities in the Middle East may escalate, reported Tom Bennett and Hugo Bachega of the BBC.
Despite sharp swings higher and lower, major U.S. stock indices finished the week close to where they started it. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury finished the week higher.
Source: John Hancock Investment Management
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Presidential elections are important but can distract investors financially. Join Andrew and John as we discuss the market returns around election times.
Market returns vary by presidential party in power, but no clear and consistent trend has emerged. Returns are far more correlated with economic cycles than presidential party and are often positive despite the party in power.
Click here to watch the video.
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World's Most Livable Cities | |
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The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Global Liveability Index improved marginally in 2024. The EIU’s annual survey evaluates the stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure of 173 cities around the world to determine which are the most—and least—livable.
In 2024, “Declines in stability and infrastructure across a number of cities in advanced economies were offset by structural improvements in healthcare and education in several cities in developing markets…An acute housing crisis has pulled down infrastructure scores of some of the top-ranked cities,” reported the EIU. The war with Hamas caused Tel Aviv, Israel, to slide down the list this year. The cities that were most livable included:
- Vienna, Austria
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Melbourne, Australia
- Calgary, Canada
Vienna took top marks although it was held back from a perfect score by a lack of major sporting events. “Copenhagen, Zurich and Geneva…are notable for their modest population size, which tends to lead to lower crime rates and less crowded roads and public-transport systems.”
Many of the cities at the bottom of the livability list have seen little improvement year to year. The stability category, overall, saw the biggest decline in 2024. Some lower-ranked countries have seen their economies destroyed by civil war. The cities that were least livable included:
- Damascus, Syria
- Tripoli, Libya
- Algiers, Algeria
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Karachi, Pakistan
Cities in the U.S. were not in the top or bottom five. If we focus only on the U.S., the top cities (as ranked by the EIU) were: 1) Honolulu, Hawaii; 2) Atlanta, Georgia; 3) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 4) Seattle, Washington; 5) Washington D.C.; 6) Chicago, Illinois; 7) Boston, Massachusetts; 8) Miami, Florida; 9) San Francisco, California; and 10) Minneapolis, Minnesota, reported Celia Fernandez of CNBC.
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AJ Advisors
www.ajadvice.com
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Phone: (615) 709-8709
Fax: (615) 505-3306
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John Stauffer, CFP®
Partner
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Andrew Quinn, CFP®
Partner
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