FINANCIAL BLOG

Last week was one for the ages in terms of the number and magnitude of events and data points for investors to digest. A Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting, the monthly jobs report, and the peak week of earnings season would be enough to qualify as a busy week.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of July 28, 2025. After a so-called ‘perfect week’ for the S&P 500 last week, U.S. equities closed a busy week for markets in the red. After hovering near the weekly flatline for much of the week, stocks dropped on Friday following fresh U.S. tariffs and negative surprises in July economic data.

We believe this more complex macro environment will force the Federal Reserve (Fed) to maintain its cautious stance on monetary policy for longer than markets originally expected. One factor adding to the complexity is the post-pandemic impact on economic and financial models. Another obvious factor is dynamic trade policy.