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Despite looming budget cuts that sequestration has promised for the United States, investors seem unconcerned, considering the record-breaking levels the Dow reached just last week. With help from the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, propping up the market, the Dow reached 14,286.37 last Tuesday to break the previous record of 14,198.10 from October of 2007. Although this is exciting news for investors and publicly traded companies, there are several concerns resounding with this new, record-breaking high.
Large deals and mergers helped boost the Dow last week to levels previously unseen for over four years. A rumored merger for Office Depot and OfficeMax, as well as large corporate deals for Heinz and Dell sparked investors’ interests, as well as a speculation for new deals down the road. Also on Tuesday, March 5th, the S&P 500 Index ended at 1,539.79, ending at a five-year high. Nasdaq also jumped 42.10 points to start the day at 3,224.13, which it has not reached since 2000.
This trend is not just in the United States either. European shares were also boosted, most likely due to the fact that euro zone finance ministers issued an agreement to bailout Cyprus this month. Shares grew in China when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao instituted a reform plan at the National People’s Congress to achieve a new 2013 growth target.
However, there are several concerns regarding the amount of money the Fed is pouring into the economy. These Dow levels seem to be out of balance and actions may need to be taken to draw back on some of the economy’s stimulus. But for now, these levels are promising for both investors and companies.
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