Weekly Market Commentary 02/26/2016

The stock market turned in another decent performance this week, the second in a row, despite a modest setback on Friday. After hitting a low on February 11, the S&P 500 has clawed back about one-half of the 212-point loss suffered since the end of 2015. We will leave it to market experts to debate whether or not the latest correction has run its course. But if it has, it bears an eerie resemblance to the temporary market slump that occurred last August, which saw prices slide by a similar amount. In both cases, the catalyst came from overseas, centered on the downshifting of the Chinese economy (along with a surprise currency devaluation last August) and amplified by falling oil prices.