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With inflation in the United States now more than double the Federal Reserve’s stated target of 2% inflation, economists have been at odds on whether this is ‘transitory’ or just the beginning of a new monetary trend. With the vast majority of the developed world instituting economic lockdowns and massive government stimulus to combat the COVID‑19 pandemic, it makes sense that this would fuel inflation in modernized countries with just-in-time supply chains, negligible spare capacity…and then sudden injections of massive stimulation from governments.

U.S. stocks built on the previous week’s gains, helped by some strong economic reports and positive earnings surprises. All of the major indexes finished solidly in the green. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6% to finish the week at 35,295. The technology-heavy NASDAQ Composite rebounded 2.2%, closing at 14,897. By market cap, the large cap S&P 500 gained 1.8%, while the mid cap S&P 400 and small cap Russell 2000 finished up 2.2% and 1.5%, respectively.

While we are seeing conflicting signals, many of our overall short and long-term indicators have remained positive. With that being the case, we have continued giving the market the benefit of the doubt. We’ll continue to monitor market conditions, ready to make changes when the market inevitably comes under pressure.