Major stock indices are headed in opposite directions at midday today, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq moving higher and the Dow Jones Industrials and Russell 2000 headed lower. The Nasdaq is being supported by a nice move higher in Nvidia after a few brutal days of selling. Turning to the economy, consumer confidence dipped slightly in June to a reading of 100.4 compared to 101.3 the month before. This suggests that there may be some doubt among consumers about the state of the U.S. economy. Inflation and higher interest rates have been a heavy burden now for about two years.

The trading week that ended March 22 featured (yet again) all-time highs, with the weekly winning streak for the S&P 500 (SPX) continuing. The SPX has moved higher in 17 out of 21 weeks, with a 27% gain during that period. The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and the Nasdaq are also 17 out of 21, soaring 30%. The S&P 400 prints the same story, with a 29% pop. Index price volatility is almost undetectable, although there has been some decent volatility, both up and down, among individual stocks. We saw one day of strong breadth on Wednesday of that week and one weak day on Friday.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

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In this edition, Singapore Exchange still undervalued; shares cheap for Ramsay Healthcare; multitude of issues faces multifamily construction in U.S.; and Singapore Exchange, Baxter International, and Etsy.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks were mostly higher on Friday morning following cooler-than-expected inflation data, though they gave up some of their strong early gains. The core personal consumption expenditures price index (PCE), excluding food and energy prices, rose 0.1% in August, down from a 0.2% increase in July and below the Reuters consensus forecast, which also called for a gain of 0.2%. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P rose 0.2%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.7%. Crude oil traded near $91 per barrel, while gold fell $9 to $1869 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Monday Tee Up: Hike or Pause?

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks are plunging Wednesday as Credit Suisse (CS) plummets to all-time lows, adding to concerns regarding the health of the banking industry. Credit Suisse's largest shareholder ruled out additional investment, sending shares 17% lower. The Producer Price Index contrasted Tuesday's CPI report, coming in better than expected with hefty downward revisions to January's reading. Headline PPI fell 0.1% following a 0.3% rise in January (revised from 0.7%), while the core figure remained flat following a 0.1% advance in January (revised from 0.5%). Lastly, Retail Sales fell 0.4% following a 3.2% surge in January and fell 0.1% when excluding autos. The S&P 500 is down 1.6%, the Dow is down 1.7% and the Nasdaq is down 0.9%. Crude oil fell 3.9% to $68 per barrel, while gold rose $15 to $1926 per ounce.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday morning following earnings reports from Nike and FedEx and new consumer confidence data. Nike shares rose more than 13% after the company reported better-than-expected fiscal 2Q results and progress in clearing excess inventory. FedEx rose more than 4% after posting above-consensus earnings and pledging aggressive cost cuts. The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index rose to 108.3 in December, up from a revised 101.4 in November and above the Bloomberg consensus forecast. The Dow rose 1.5%, the S&P 1.4%, and the Nasdaq 1.5%. Crude oil rose more than 2% to $78 per barrel, while gold traded near $1826 per ounce.

Stocks continued to drop on Friday morning on interest rate and recession fears, led by sharp declines in the Energy, Materials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors. Goldman Sachs cut its year-end target for the S&P 500 by 16% to 3,600, citing a higher than previously expected path for interest rates. On the earnings front, Costco posted better-than-expected fiscal 4Q results, though the shares fell on concerns about declining gross margins. The Dow fell 1.4%, the S&P 1.7%, and the Nasdaq 1.9%. Crude oil dropped more than 5% to $79 per barrel, while gold traded near $1653 per ounce.

Stocks continued to drop on Friday morning on interest rate and recession fears, led by sharp declines in the Energy, Materials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors. Goldman Sachs cut its year-end target for the S&P 500 by 16% to 3,600, citing a higher than previously expected path for interest rates. On the earnings front, Costco posted better-than-expected fiscal 4Q results, though the shares fell on concerns about declining gross margins. The Dow fell 1.4%, the S&P 1.7%, and the Nasdaq 1.9%. Crude oil dropped more than 5% to $79 per barrel, while gold traded near $1653 per ounce.

Stocks plunged on Thursday morning amid mounting recession concerns, more than erasing yesterday's gains. The selloff came a day after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points, the first such increase since 1994, and lowered its full-year U.S. GDP growth forecast. The Dow fell 2.4%, the S&P 3.2%, and the Nasdaq 3.9%. Crude oil traded near $116 per barrel, while gold rose $28 to $1847 per ounce.

This edition features putting the Bausch & Lomb spinoff under our lens, the regulation of utility companies, wagering on Tabcorp, and International Flavors & Fragrances, BlackRock, and Fortinet.

Stocks swung between gains and losses on Monday morning as investors awaited earnings from a range of major companies. Bank of America rose more than 3% after posting stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings, helped by growth in consumer lending. However, earnings were still down 13% from the prior year. The Dow fell 0.2%, the S&P 0.2%, and the Nasdaq 0.4%. Crude oil rose 1% to $108 per barrel, while gold traded near $1991 per ounce.

This edition features Broadridge's potential, trends in utility companies, new coverage of Datadog, and Eastman, Atlassian, and Comcast.

Stocks fell sharply on Tuesday morning amid rising Treasury yields. The selloff was led by the Financial, Communication Services, and Technology sectors, with only Energy in positive territory. Goldman Sachs shares fell more than 8% after the company posted lower 4Q earnings and missed the consensus EPS estimate. The Dow fell 1.6%, the S&P 1.7%, and the Nasdaq 2.2%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $85 per barrel, while gold fell $4 to $1813 ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks edged higher on Thursday afternoon, led by the Healthcare and Technology sectors. On the employment front, first-time jobless claims fell to 375,000 for the week ended August 7, down from the prior week and in line with the consensus forecast. Continuing claims fell to 2.866 million from 2.980 million a week earlier, and were also below consensus. After the close, Disney posted strong fiscal 3Q results, helped by better-than-expected growth in Disney+ subscribers and a recovery in the theme parks business. The Dow rose 0.04%, the S&P 0.30%, and the Nasdaq 0.35%. Crude oil fell to $69 per barrel, while gold rose slightly to $1755 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday morning, led by the Financial and Industrial sectors, amid concerns about the strength of the economic recovery and the impact of the Delta variant. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose to 373,000 for the week ended July 3, up slightly from 371,000 a week earlier and above the Bloomberg consensus of 350,000. Continuing claims fell to 3.339 million from 3.484 million a week earlier and came in below the consensus forecast. The Dow fell 1.4%, the S&P 1.4%, and the Nasdaq 1.6%. Crude oil fell slightly to $72 per barrel, while gold traded near $1806 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks rose on Friday morning on positive economic data. The U.S. Labor Department reported that for the 12 months ended February 2021, the annual core inflation rate is 1.3%. The University of Michigan's March consumer sentiment index came in at 84.9, up from February's 76.8 and above the 83.6 consensus estimate. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P 0.6%, and the Nasdaq 0.4%. Crude oil prices traded at $61 per barrel, while gold rose $7 to $1732 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.