Morningstar Indexes: Weekly Market Report

Energy prices fell again last week even as OPEC considers a production cut. Further, fears of a recessionary downturn diminished with the release of the Federal Reserve's "beige book," which indicated moderate levels of growth. The Morningstar US Market Index added 1.5% for the week ending Oct. 13. The index is up 11% for the year.

The Morningstar Market Barometer delivered an encore, with all nine boxes displaying varying shades of green. Small-cap stocks surged ahead making the Morningstar Small Growth Index the best performer among the nine style indexes, posting a gain of 3.1% for the week. The Morningstar Large Core Index, up by 0.9%, was the worst performer.

One of the top-performing stocks for the week was RTI International Metals RTI, a specialty metal producer. RTI announced an $800 million, 10-year deal with Airbus to supply titanium products, driving the stock price up by an eye-popping 21.2% last week.

The Morningstar Large Core Index got a boost from a couple of restaurant operators that reported strong third-quarter results. Yum Brands YUM, operator of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Long John Silver's, rose 7.7% for the week. McDonald's MCD, the world's largest restaurant chain, rose 5% on the strength of its breakfast business and the popularity of the new Snack Wrap.