January was full of ups and downs as investors rode a wave of uncertainty.

Last week proved to be a tough one for the market as each of the benchmark indexes listed here lost value.

Imagine it is early January 2010 and you are reading a review of the financial markets.

The Dow has posted weekly gains for five of the last six weeks, the S&P 500 advanced for the second consecutive week, and the Nasdaq has risen for six straight weeks.

Last Friday's jobs report was a mixed bag of information. While 145,000 new jobs were added and the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, wage growth was tepid in December to cap off a year of only moderate wage growth.

The year began with the government stymied by a shutdown, and ended with articles of impeachment levied against the president. Nevertheless, investors remained relatively bullish toward stocks, pushing several major indexes to record highs.

The year 2019 served up many examples of the unpredictability of markets. Taken as a whole, it’s a reminder that the prediction game can be a losing one for investors.

The holiday spirit, coupled with renewed optimism on the trade front, helped propel stocks higher last week. 

Stocks continued to surge last week, reaching new record highs ahead of the Christmas holiday. The S&P 500 recorded its largest weekly percentage gain in several months. 

Positive developments finally arrived in the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.

Market performance was uneven last week, culminating in some of the benchmark indexes closing in the black while a few lost value by week's end.

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Stocks grew for the third straight month as each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted solid returns in November.

The market's run of weekly gains ended last week as each of the benchmark indexes listed here lost value.

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The Dow hit a new record high last week, and each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted solid gains as investors received encouraging news on the trade front.

A better-than-expected jobs report and strong third-quarter earnings from some major companies drove stock prices higher for the fourth consecutive week.

Solid corporate earnings reports and encouraging signs on the trade war front spurred stocks higher last week. The S&P 500 reached its second-highest closing value by last Friday, while the Dow is nearing a record high.

Both the Dow and Nasdaq rose by almost 1.0%, followed by the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500. However, the biggest mover was the Global Dow, which surged almost 2.0%.

Despite a solid labor report, unfavorable reports from domestic and global manufacturers, and an expanding trade deficit apparently shook investors.