COMMENTARY:
- Once upon a time in the whimsical land of Wall Street, the asset classes gathered for their weekly performance review. It was a chaotic week, and each asset had its own story to tell:
- The 10-Year Treasury climbed to 4.48%, to the highest point since February. Oil hit a 4-year low on Monday, WTI dropping to $55.12 per barrel. The U.S. Dollar lost ground against the euro. Finally, the VIX, acted like a drama queen, staring the week at a sky-high 46.9 It then dropped to 33.6 midweek and finally settled at 37.5 on Friday.
- The S&P500 Index had its strongest week since last November, up 5.7%, yet still down almost 9% YTD.
- Technology led the way, gaining 8.8%, shaped by tariff relief, broader market recovery, and strong earnings potential in select high-growth firms. Monolithic Power Systems rose 10.0%, followed by Broadcom, which was up 5.6%.
- Industrials (+6.6%) were also helped by the tariff pauses, and some firms tied to defense and domestic manufacturing rallied further, driven by an executive order. Huntington Ingalls Industries gained the most up 7.4% for the period. Fastenal picked up 6.4% and was he second best performer.
- The only sector in the red this week was Real Estate, but it was down just 10 basis points. Only six of the 31 constituents were down, they made up 12% of the sector’s exposure.
ETF Tidbits:
Here are the biggest ETF winners for the week ending April 11, 2025, driven by extreme market volatility and trade tensions:
- Leveraged Volatility ETFs
- Safe-Haven and Bond ETFs
- Leveraged Tech and Growth ETFs
- Equity ETFs with Massive Inflows: VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) & SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust):
