Schwab Market Update Audio

May 20, 2020U.S. equities finished higher to recoup most of yesterday's losses, as investor optimism surrounding the progress in reopening the global economy persisted, while another potential breakthrough out of the healthcare sector regarding results of a possible COVID-19 vaccine also boosted sentiment.

May 19, 2020 After rallying sharply yesterday, and spending most of the day mixed, U.S. equities fell sharply in the final minutes to finish lower in today's session, as optimism surrounding progress of a potential COVID-19 vaccine and the continued reopening of global economies came up against a variety of events, earnings and data for investors to ponder.

May 18, 2020 U.S. equities soared on the first trading day of the week, as optimism jumped amid the continued progress on reopenings of world economies, as well as today's announcement of upbeat trial results from Moderna of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

May 15, 2020In a volatile session, U.S. equities were able to finish with modest gains, as investors weighed ramped-up U.S./China trade tensions and dismal April retail sales and industrial production reports against an unexpected improvement in consumer sentiment and a contraction in New York manufacturing activity that decelerated more than expected.

May 14, 2020U.S. equities staged a comeback to finish in the green, after continued uneasiness regarding a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases amid a number of global economies reopening pressured stocks early on.

May 13, 2020 U.S. equites finished solidly lower, as uncertainty ratcheted higher following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech, comments from some prominent investors on market valuation, and continued uneasiness pertaining to a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the wake of new cases being reported out of Asia and Europe.

March 12, 2020U.S. equities were again sharply lower, triggering a second 15-minute trading halt this week, as the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak continues to intensify, exacerbated yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak a pandemic and President Donald Trump announcing travel restrictions from Europe.

May 11, 2020 U.S. equities were mixed, as focus remained on the reopening of the global economy, but reports of new cases in Wuhan and South Korea kept the optimism in check.

May 8, 2020 U.S. equities finished solidly in the green, with the markets posting weekly gains across the board, as investors appeared to shrug off an expectedly dismal April labor report that showed a plunge in April employment and an historic spike in the unemployment rate, opting to focus on the optimism of progress in economic reopenings in some U.S. states and key regions in Europe, along with recent signs of recovery in China.

May 7, 2020 U.S. equities finished with solid gains, recouping some of yesterday's slip, amid a host of earnings reports from PayPal, Square, Lyft and Peloton that were cheered and suggested the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may be showing signs of stabilization.

May 6, 2020 U.S. equities finished mixed and near their lows of the day in a choppy session, accelerating to the downside following comments from President Trump of the possibility of China not honoring its end of the trade deal..

May 5, 2020 U.S. equities finished in the green, albeit off the highs of the day, amid a fifth-straight day of gains in crude oil prices, and as investors found support from cautious optimism as some U.S. states continue to reopen, while Dow member Pfizer and its German partner announced the beginning of U.S. trails for an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

May 4, 2020 After spending most of the day mixed, U.S. equities turned higher in the final minutes of trading to finish with modest gains amid a continued rebound in crude oil prices and strength in tech stocks.

May 1, 2020 The U.S. equity markets finished with solid losses, dousing early notion of stocks finishing with weekly gains, as a slew of earnings and economic data continued to illustrate the dramatic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after President Trump threatened to slap new tariffs on China over its role in the coronavirus pandemic.

April 30, 2020 U.S. equities finished lower, as recent optimism on the fight against the coronavirus and the slow reopening of the U.S. economy came up against another dose of bleak economic news and mixed earnings results to hamper sentiment.