GOOD WEEK

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) was up 0.17%. Investors worldwide closely follow the chipmaker due to its significance to other businesses and economies. Its influence extends from China to Europe and North America. A few days ago, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing gave investors an update indicating a slowdown in the semiconductor market. Along with oil and other physical commodities, semiconductors are the lifeblood of the 21st-century economy. Computer chips power smartphones, the cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), video games, artificial intelligence (AI), and other hypergrowth industries that have been the key drivers of stock market returns for the last few decades.

Bank of America (BAC) rose 3.36% while the market was down across the board. Bank of America bucked the overall downward trend mainly due to strong earnings. Investors were eagerly anticipating how this bellwether bank stock, the first major bank to report earnings following the March financial meltdown, performed in the volatile market. The overall net income was up 15% year over year to $12.6 billion.

BAD WEEK

Alvotech (ALVO) fell 22.28%. Alvotech is a biotech company, founded by Robert Wessman, that focuses solely on the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide. Alvotech seeks to be a global leader in the biosimilar space by delivering high-quality, cost-effective products and services enabled by a fully integrated approach and broad in-house capabilities.

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (SPR) fell 20.73%. Boeing is facing a new problem with its 737 MAX planes, believed to be the fault of its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (SPR). After discovering a significant issue in Spirit's most critical program, Spirit's shares fell. Spirit has a long-standing relationship with Boeing, having been a part of the company until 2005 and continuing to be a key supplier to its commercial programs, including the 737 MAX line. Boeing announced that it would temporarily halt deliveries of certain 737 MAX jets due to incorrectly installed parts. The fuselage assembly work is carried out by Spirit, and the problem seems to involve two of the eight fittings that Spirit attaches to the plane's vertical tail.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization comprising 190 countries that work together to promote international monetary cooperation, facilitate international trade, and promote sustainable economic growth and financial stability worldwide. The IMF provides member countries with policy advice, financial assistance, and technical assistance to help them overcome economic difficulties, manage economic risks, and strengthen their economies. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is governed by a board of governors representing each member country.

The IMF advised the Biden administration to control spending to improve the United States' debt burden and aid the Federal Reserve in controlling inflation. Vitor Gaspar, Director of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, says there is a strong argument for fiscal adjustment in the US, which could help the Federal Reserve fight inflation and keep interest rates from rising too quickly. Inflation has been higher than expected in recent years, and the Fed has been increasing its benchmark interest rate at the fastest rate since the late 1980s. Meanwhile, the US government's debt is expected to exceed the pandemic peak by 2027, with the US debt as a percentage of GDP predicted to reach 135% in 2028. These figures are higher than those of other advanced economies.

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