The Employment Situation Report for February

The February jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this week showed U.S. nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 295,000 in February helping the unemployment rate to decrease to 5.5%. Economists had expected jobs to increase by 230,000 and the unemployment rate to fall to 5.6%.

Employment Situation Summary

U.S. Financial Market - February 20, 2015

DJIA: 0.66%, YTD 1.78%

S&P 500: 0.63%, YTD 2.50%

10 biggest financial-market events this week

November 28 Trading Week

U.S. financial market indexes reported gains for the shortened holiday trading week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week at 17,828.24, up 0.11% for the week. The S&P 500 closed at 2,067.56, up 0.25% for the week.

GDP and information on the PCE Index were highlights for the week. The seasonally adjusted annual growth rate for GDP was revised up for the third quarter from 3.5% to 3.9%. The PCE Index showed a 1.4% increase over the one year period ending in October with a 1.6% increase when excluding food and energy.

GDP Revised Up from First Estimate

Year to date the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 7.55% while the S&P 500 has gained 11.86%. 

A Recap of the Federal Open Market Committee's October 2014 Meeting

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) ended QE3 in October.

Statement
U.S. Financial Market Indexes Up For The October 31 Week; FOMC Ends QE3

On November 19, it released its meeting minutes from October.

Meeting minutes
With Wary Eye on Global Tumult, Fed Opted to Stay on Policy Path for Now

The new focus will now be on when the FOMC will increase rates.
U.S. Market’s Focus Turns To Rate Increase

Third Quarter Financial Sector Earnings

This week a number of financial companies will report their third quarter earnings including three companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. JPMorgan will report results on Tuesday followed by American Express on Wednesday and Goldman Sachs on Thursday.

Some key trends to watch in the banking sector include the following:

5 Trends To Watch In This Week’s Bank Earnings

More details on American Express and credit card businesses can also be found here:

American Express Q3 Earnings Preview: Key Trends That Will Impact Performance

Credit Card Company Weekly Notes – MasterCard, Visa And American Express

The FOMC's September 16-17 Meeting Minutes

September 16-17 Meeting Minutes

August 8, 2014: U.S. Equity Markets End the Week Higher

DJIA +0.35%
S&P 500 +0.32%

A few good reads on this week's geopolitical activity: 

Ukraine: Market Rising on Hint of Easing Tension in Ukraine

Middle East: U.S. Launches Airstrikes in Iraq