"Slow growth and mediocre job creation have been common themes used to describe the U.S. economy in recent years, as both the labor market and broader economy failed to produce the snap-back rebound many expected following the deep recession seen in 2008 & 2009. Despite that lackluster growth, the unemployment rate has now fallen to 7 5% after peaking at 10% in October of 2009 a much faster decline than 7.5% 2009, expected, given average employment growth of less than 125,000 per month. [+] Read More

Louis Navellier focuses this week's commentary on the latest jobs report and the possibility of more quantitative easing. [+] Read More

Louis Navellier addresses the “sell in May and go away” idea and what he believes will continue to sustain the bull market. “The S&P 500 rose 1.74% last week. NASDAQ did even better (+2.28%) and the Russell 2000 rose 2.5%, virtually erasing the previous week’s losses. Since domestic smaller-cap stocks have an advantage as long as the dollar remains strong, I expect the Russell 2000 to continue to outperform the S&P 500. As May approaches, I feel there is no advantage in “selling in May and going away,” since you have an opportunity to score market-beating profits by focusing on stocks that surprise Wall Street with rising earnings. In addition, this bull market seems to have some strong “legs” to support it, namely the powerful impact of stock buybacks.” [+] Read More

JP Morgan’s Quarterly Guide to the Markets for the second quarter 2013 is now available.* This comprehensive guide focuses on the latest information about equities, the economy, fixed income, international markets and various asset class performance for the quarter. *For current and previous editions of JP Morgan's Guide to Markets click here. Download JP Morgan's Full Commentary Here Get Free Research Reports on JP Morgan [+] Read More

Louis Navellier begins the second quarter by commenting on the latest jobs report and what it means for the stock market. “The unease in Korea and a disappointing jobs report on Friday delivered the biggest weekly loss of the year so far, but the decline wasn’t all that bad – a 1% drop in the S&P 500 and a slight (0.1%) drop in the Dow. However, many smaller stocks fared worse – with the Russell 2000 declining 3% last week and NASDAQ off nearly 2%. As I’ve been saying in recent weeks, the market is becoming more selective, so investors need to be more attentive to company-specific news and trends.” Download Navellier's Full Commentary Here Get Free Research Reports on Navellier & Associates [+] Read More

Nuveen’s latest commentary focuses on the three major issues facing congress at the moment: Raising the debt ceiling, funding the U.S. government and surviving sequester. "Last week U.S. equity averages were up roughly half of one percent. The most significant economic statistic was the trade deficit - which widened substantially compared to expectations - taking close to half of one percent off of GDP for the fourth quarter. We assume some of that will be offset in December." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Nuveen Asset Management [+] Read More

Federated Investors’ November commentary gives their take on recent and upcoming events in the market and economy, as well as a recap of the Strategic Value Dividend portfolio’s performance. "Through the month of November, the Strategic Value Dividend portfolio proceeded on its way to achieving its objectives of providing a high-level of current income, long-term capital appreciation driven by dividend growth and lower downside risk. The portfolio finished with a gross dividend yield that measured 4.96% in line with its 5.0% target. This was significantly higher than the 2.28% yield of the broad market S&P 500 Index, as well as the 4.00% yield of the Dow Jones Select Dividend Index that aims to reflect the domestic dividend-paying universe." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Federated Investors Inc [+] Read More

Roosevelt Investments' November commentary reviews the latest corporate earnings, investor sentiment, and outlooks for the fiscal cliff and tax changes in 2013. "After a strong September, the stock market ceded ground in October and ended the month about 2% lower than where it began. Third quarter earnings were disappointing as many companies struggled to achieve more than modest revenue growth. Guidance for future growth was lackluster given macroeconomic pressures from Europe and China in addition to fiscal cliff-related uncertainty. Housing data continues to point toward recovery, while the employment picture remains mixed." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Roosevelt Investment Group [+] Read More

International money manager Wenthworth Hauser's fall investment commentary focuses on the international equity markets and economies. "The global economy is slowing due to a deepening recession in Europe, tepid U.S. growth and slower growth in several developing economies including China. The developed countries of the world are battling large budget deficits and expanding sovereign debt. Unless the legislative and executive branches of government in the U.S. take action, a combination of spending cuts and tax increases effective at the beginning of 2013 will likely send the domestic economy into a downturn. On a more positive note, corporate profits are near a record level, corporate balances sheets are strong and consumers are repairing their balance sheets. Central banks around the world are flooding the system with liquidity which should help support asset prices and defer sovereign default and deflation." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Wentworth, Hauser & Violich [+] Read More