It’s hard to keep stocks down in this bull market. After tumbling on Thursday, the major indices came back with a vengeance on Friday to finish the week at record levels. Investors had shown concern about the economic recovery hitting a stumbling block, but their fears didn’t last.
On Friday, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all finished the day at fresh all-time highs. Bank stocks reclaimed lost ground from Thursday’s sell-off while travel stocks including airlines also made a quick turnaround.
Trading in stock index futures suggests that Monday will extend Friday’s gains. On Sunday evening, the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq index futures were all trading fractionally higher.
Stocks to Watch
The second-quarter earnings parade will begin in earnest this week on Tuesday. Financial services is among the first sectors to report, with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan in the pipeline, in addition to consumer company PepsiCo. A Cowen & Co. analyst reiterated her outperform rating on PepsiCo shares in recent days.
The economy has been humming along even better than had been anticipated since the pandemic year. The expectations for S&P 500 companies this earnings season are bullish. Profits are poised to increase 65% vs. year-ago levels, as per Refinitive data, a sign that the pandemic pressure is seemingly in the rearview mirror.