PUT IN WORK (1/29/2024)

The stock market has continued its positive weekly streak, with last week marking the third one in a row. Indices have also seen new all-time highs as stocks continue to push above former levels. The Nasdaq (QQQ) ended up 0.6% while the S&P 500 (SPY) ended up a slightly greater 1%, with both indices, again, hitting all-time highs. Despite this stellar movement, we'd like to cover a handful of things in this week's issue. Still, it's pertinent information that could help readers continue to make informed investing decisions.

Most of the current market buzz and speculation continues to surround the upcoming Fed meetings, both for January and for March, in particular. Currently, there's no expectation for the Fed to do anything in January, and since there's no Fed meeting for February, investors are already looking to March for guidance. As it stands, the market is already gearing up for a potential rate cut in March, with odds currently sitting at 50-50. Investors are also watching for any further confirmation in either direction, with many waiting for the Fed meeting that will take place on January 30th and 31st. The language during this meeting will be important for many, as it always is.

In other news, earnings season is in full swing, and many more companies are set to report this week. Companies such as Microsoft (MSFT), Starbucks (SBUX), Boeing (BA), Amazon (AMZN), AMD (AMD), and Apple (AAPL) will be reporting throughout the week. Behemoths such as these usually shake up the market in some way, and with several of these flying high over the last couple of weeks—namely AMD, which has reached a new all-time high—the market is sure to get a kick out of whatever is to come. We're both eager and cautious for the future, but we'll always remain hopeful and attentive.

(Nasdaq ETF (QQQ) price from January 2023 - 2024 — each candle is 1 week. Chart provided by tradingview.com.)

PORTFOLIO UPDATE

Due to the volatile nature of many of our owned stocks, our portfolio's performance was below average. Almost all of our small stocks saw little to no movement over the last week, though a couple saw some 5% swings in either direction, as expected. Despite this less-than-stellar weekly performance, we are confident in our picks and will hold them for the foreseeable future. As always, thank you for reading, and happy investing.