The S&P 500 closed Friday within one percent of its record high at 4180. First quarter earnings continued with financials and banks posting strong numbers to start the week. Before the market opened on Thursday, reported first-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 547,000, a pandemic-era low and better than the previous week’s 576,000. Then on Thursday afternoon President Biden proposed doubling the capital gains tax for American’s earning $1 million or more and the markets sold off. However, when the markets opened on Friday they took off with all major indices closing just shy of their record highs. From a technical perspective, the bullish performance of the market has been broad based with 90 percent of S&P 500 stocks trading above their 200 day Moving Averages. Last week I mentioned that the Bollinger Band Index (BBI) stood at a cautionary overbought condition of 97. This week the BBI reversed itself to a much “cooler and consolidated” 74, which basically reflects the 5 point loss of the S&P 500 since last Friday. For TSP TIPS, the I fund was the only fund to make a new record high this week and that was on Monday. All equity funds (C/S/I) are still giving buy signals, but we are seeing a “slight” rotation. Recent strength in the S fund has allowed it to regain footing with the C and I funds and as such, we’ll make a “slight” reallocation as follows.
The S&P 500 closed Friday within one percent of its record high at 4180. First quarter earnings continued with financials and banks posting strong numbers to start the week. Before the market opened on Thursday, reported first-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 547,000, a pandemic-era low and better than the previous week’s 576,000. Then on Thursday afternoon President Biden proposed doubling the capital gains tax for American’s earning $1 million or more and the markets sold off. However, when the markets opened on Friday they took off with all major indices closing just shy of their record highs. From a technical perspective, the bullish performance of the market has been broad based with 90 percent of S&P 500 stocks trading above their 200 day Moving Averages. Last week I mentioned that the Bollinger Band Index (BBI) stood at a cautionary overbought condition of 97. This week the BBI reversed itself to a much “cooler and consolidated” 74, which basically reflects the 5 point loss of the S&P 500 since last Friday. For TSP TIPS, the I fund was the only fund to make a new record high this week and that was on Monday. All equity funds (C/S/I) are still giving buy signals, but we are seeing a “slight” rotation. Recent strength in the S fund has allowed it to regain footing with the C and I funds and as such, we’ll make a “slight” reallocation as follows.