THE WEEK ON WALL STREET
Stocks posted modest gains last week, with quarterly earnings season in full swing and the election on the horizon. The S&P 500 Index increased 0.85 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.80 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.96 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, fell 0.31 percent.
FACT OF THE WEEK
On October 19, 1985, the first Blockbuster video-rental store opens, in Dallas, Texas. At a time when most video stores were small-scale operations featuring a limited selection of titles, Blockbuster opened with some 8,000 tapes displayed on shelves around the store and a computerized check-out process. The first store was a success and Blockbuster expanded rapidly, eventually becoming one of the world’s largest providers of in-home movies and game entertainment, before eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2010.
MARKET MINUTE
Six in a Row
Stocks bolted out of the gate as the week began. The S&P 500 and the Dow Industrials hit record highs, with the Dow crossing 43,000 for the first time. Midweek, news of stronger-than-expected retail sales report contributed to overall market momentum. Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in September, topping economists forecasts.
As the week wrapped up, the technology sector helped fuel a rally that pushed the S&P and Nasdaq to another record high. It was the sixth straight week of gains for the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Industrials.
Insight from Corporate Reports
There were many market forces pushing each other around last week. Corporate earnings reports drove much of the market action. Some of the most extensive financial stocks surprised on the upside, supporting a narrative that the economy remains strong. At the same time, a corporate report from one of the world’s largest chip manufacturing contractors revealed continued strong global demand for AI microchips. However, increasing investor anxiety was a constant undertow in trading as the November elections drew nearer.
FINANCIAL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK
How Will the Economy React to AI?
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are already invading every aspect of our lives. Debates are ongoing about how it will infiltrate individual industries. Governments are working to understand AI and determine how to regulate something that affects much more than the digital space. Its potential uses are being realized everywhere, from musicians turning 50-year-old demo recordings into fully realized hit singles to firms analyzing data to increase productivity, maximize security, and even develop new medicines. The potential for AI is a fast-moving beast, with new tools emerging so quickly that they sometimes make existing ones obsolete just months after they become available.
It has certainly made many people nervous. An online educator surveyed 800 executives about their futures with AI. Almost half of the respondents believed that many of the job skills vital to the employees of various industries, including C-suite executives, may be irrelevant in just two years.
This is some scary talk, to be certain. However, it is important to note that such change is inevitable. Just as the telephone put the telegraph out to pasture and the commercialization of the Internet changed how every company does business, AI will change things. However, not all aspects of the change will be bad or negative.
For those in the workforce, AI represents this generation’s pivot point. Just as prior generations got used to offices centered around emails and messaging tools, so will this generation of workers get used to the many AI tools that will help them work better and more efficiently. Jobs at all levels will change to incorporate emerging innovations. Executives will have access to resources that simplify their tasks and expand their abilities.
AI promises to help make a massive leap forward in terms of what people can accomplish, and its tools can help people do tasks more precisely and at previously impossible speeds. This sort of innovation always has growing pains. However, in the long run, it represents incredible potential for the economy to grow in new directions, uplifting the industries that every company changes and opening avenues that never existed before.
Although AI challenges the economy, investors have faced this challenge during every innovative period. As your trained financial professional, I will consider big and small changes, and I look forward to hearing any questions you may have about the future of AI.
Have a great week!