Financial Update: Week of May 27, 2025
Hope you are doing well. Last week brought higher government bond yields following House approval of a new budget bill, as well as firmer gold and Bitcoin pricing. Read on for a bite-sized summary of what you should know.
Weekly Stock Index Performance
- The S&P 500 declined by 2.61%.
- The Nasdaq 100 fell by 2.39%.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average was lower by 2.47%.
Budget Bill / Bond Yields
- The One, Big, Beautiful Bill got the bond market a bit edgy last week.
- Bond yields shot higher last week, with most attention paid to the 30-year U.S. government bond yield as it traded above 5.0% for the first time since 2023.
- Rates on mortgages rose last week, too, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage trading near the 7.0% level, the highest since April 11th.
Bitcoin, Gold Rise
- While stocks turned sluggish last week after the previous week’s rally, capital found its way into gold and bitcoin.
- Bitcoin reached a fresh all-time high last week, eclipsing $111,000 per coin. The potential immediate catalyst seemed to be sluggish demand for the U.S. Treasury’s 20-year bond auction.
- The price of gold also bounced last week ahead of the holiday weekend on safe-haven buying.
Existing Home Sales Decline
- Data showed existing home sales fell by 0.5% month over month in April, making it the slowest April since 2009.
- High interest rates and sour consumer expectations seem to be combining to affect the spring housing market.
The Week Ahead
- Attention this week turns to the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge, Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE). Will the recent trend of in-line to lower inflation data continue with the on-again and off-again tariffs?
- Eyes will be on bond yields as markets further digest the budget bill and any developments in the Senate.
That’s it for this week’s update! If you’d like to explore any of these topics further or have any other questions or needs as the week unfolds, don’t hesitate to reach out. I am always here as a resource for you.
Disclosure:
This material provided by Levitate. Levitate is not affiliated with Valmark Securities, Inc. and Valmark Advisers, Inc. Indices are unmanaged and do not incur fees, one cannot directly invest in an index. Diversification does not guarantee investment returns and does not eliminate the risk of loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The information provided has been derived from sources believe to be reliable, but is not guaranteed as to accuracy and does not purport to be complete analysis of the material discussed, nor does is constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, products or services mentioned.