The first full week of work in the fall added little to the big picture as the market hovered near all-time highs. Stocks fell for the week, snapping a five-week advance. Treasuries fell for the seventh straight day.
Jobless claims were slightly worse than expected, but this tends to be a volatile number so investors shouldn’t put too much stock into it. Consumer sentiment hit its strongest level in more than a year, while retail sales were in line with expectations. The data continued to point to an economy that is improving, albeit at an unhurried pace.