Resource Articles

Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Markets Finish 3Q25 Strong Amidst Government Shutdown Noise

October 6, 2025: Equity markets ended the week higher, building on strong year-to-date performance. The S&P 500 rose +1.1%, the Nasdaq 100 gained +1.2%, and the Russell 2000 climbed +1.8%. Despite being a historically weak month of equity market returns, September was the third strongest month this year for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Equity Markets Take a Breather

September 29, 2025: Equity markets declined slightly last week. Prior to this dip, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 had increased for three consecutive weeks and the small cap Russell 2000 had increased seven weeks in a row.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Risk Appetite Boosted by Fed Cut

September 22, 2025: Equity markets rose on the week as risk assets were boosted by the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision to reduce the benchmark lending rate 25 basis points to a range of 4.00-4.25%. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% and each of the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 gained 2.2%.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Stocks Rise in Anticipation of Fed Rate Cuts

September 15, 2025: Mixed inflation data and deteriorating labor conditions have solidified expectations for a 25-basis-point rate cut at this week’s FOMC meeting, with investor focus shifting to the Fed’s forward-looking projections.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Stocks Gain Despite Weak Jobs Data as Rate Cut Expectations Increase

September 8, 2025: Most equity benchmarks rose in the holiday-shortened week despite disappointing jobs data.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Stocks Tread Water as Market Enters Seasonally Weak Period

September 2, 2025: The S&P 500 slipped to a slight -0.1% decline in a week with muted price volatility despite the presence of major events. The VIX, a measure of volatility, ended the week at 15.3 – near its lowest level since early April. The low levels of expected volatility come as the market enters a seasonally weak time of year.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech Boosts Equities

August 25, 2025: Equity markets were little changed over the last week despite some intra-week volatility. The S&P 500 declined every day leading up to Friday’s +1.5% rally which pushed the Index into slightly positive territory for the week.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Equities Rise, Yields Steady after Upside Surprise to Inflation Data.

August 18, 2025: Equity markets rose last week despite worrisome inflation data. Yields were fairly steady across the curve as futures markets continue to expect a 25-basis point cut to the benchmark lending rate at the Fed’s September meeting.

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Sunflower Bank – Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary: Markets Rise as Equities Boosted By Prospect of September Cut

August 11, 2025: Equity indexes had a strong week as stocks were boosted by the prospect of rate cuts. The S&P 500 rose +2.4%, the Nasdaq 100 climbed +3.7%, and the Russell 2000 gained +2.4%.

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