thursday, february 20 , 2020. the washington post eZ re a1 7
the Markets6 Monitor your investments at washingtonpost.com/markets Data and graphics by
FMAMJJASONDJF7,8,9,
'S&P 500 IndustryGroupSnapshotIndustryGroupDaily %
Chg
-78.9% Chg % 1Yr +78.9%Semiconductors& Semi Eqp 2.
Auto Components 2.
Distributors 2.
EnergyEquipment & Svcs 1.
Computers& Peripherals 1.
REITS -1.
ElectricUtilities -1.
PowerProdct& EnrgyTrdr -0.
Multi-Utilities -0.
Gas Utilities -0.$1000investedover 1 MonthBritain£
0.BloombergFMAMJJASONDJF24,27,29,
'Futures Close 1D % Chg
Copper 2.61 0.
CrudeOil 53.29 2.
Gold 1611.80 0.
NaturalGas 1.96 -1.
OrangeJuice 1.02 1.
Futures Close 1D % Chg
Silver 18.31 0.
Sugar 15.08 1.
Soybean 9.06 0.
Wheat 5.63 -0.
Corn 3.85 -0.CurrencyExchange2-yr note
Yield:
1.42%Bank Prime
4.75%Exchange-Traded
(Ticker) 1D % Chg
$591 $
Coffee(COFF.L) 1.
Copper(COPA.L) -0.
Corn (CORN.L) -0.
Cotton(COTN.L) 0.
CrudeOil (CRUD.L) 3.
Gasoline(UGAS.L) 2.
Gold (BULL.L) 0.
NaturalGas (NGAS.L) 1.
Silver(SLVR.L) 0.
Close9,817.
1D % Change
0.5%LIBOR3-Month
1.69%ConsumerRates1D % Change
0.9%MoneyMarketNatl
0.1-Yr ARM
3.48%Gainersand Losersfrom the S&P 1500Index
Company Close1D %
Chg
TiVo Corp 8.49 25.
Xperi Corp 18.70 24.
SolarEdgeTech 127.82 17.
Uniti GroupInc 10.45 13.
HealthEquityInc 86.63 10.
AnteroMidstream 4.88 10.
ChesapeakeEnergy 0.48 9.
HighPointResources 1.07 8.
OraSureTechnologies 7.12 8.
Valarisplc 5.30 8.
DesignerBrandsInc 15.47 8.
ConchoResources Inc 82.45 7.
Atlas Air Worldwide 29.68 7.
AECOM 50.75 7.
WhitingPetroleum 3.01 7.
Bed Bath & Beyond 12.61 7.
SouthwesternEnergyCo 1.72 6.
GarminLtd 103.67 6.
TupperwareBrands 6.29 6.
Olin Corp 18.25 6.Company Close1D %
Chg
ScientificGames 24.10 -18.
HavertyFurniture 17.17 -15.
CBL & Assc Prop 0.57 -14.
FreshDelMonteProduce29.26 -14.
EncoreWire Corp 51.94 -7.
GarrettMotionInc 8.37 -7.
PA Rl Est Invst Trst 3.39 -7.
Extra SpaceStorage 107.48 -6.
SonicAutomotiveInc 28.95 -6.
VonageHoldingsCorp 10.08 -5.
Cooper-StandardInc 21.01 -5.
PublicStorage 218.80 -5.
KiteRealtyGroupTrust 17.08 -5.
VornadoRealtyTrust 64.38 -5.
Nat Strg Afflts Trst 36.19 -5.
Fluor Corp 14.06 -4.
CedarRealtyTrust 2.73 -4.
Rent-A-CenterInc/TX 27.00 -4.
KLX EnergyServices 3.23 -4.
WA PrimeGroup 2.69 -4.5Yr CD Natl
1.5-yr note
Yield:
1.41%RATESNASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX$1000investedover 1 Year6Mo CD Natl
0.Japan¥
111.Mexico$
18.FMAMJJASONDJF2,3,3,
'YTD % Change
9.4%Close29,348.
New Car Loan Natl
4.Asia Pacific -6.9% +6.9%
S&P/ASX200 INDEX 7144.56 0.
CSI 300 INDEX 4051.31 -0.
HANGSENGINDEX 27655.81 0.
NIKKEI 225 23400.70 0.Europe -4.4% +4.4%
STXE 600 (EUR)Pr 433.90 0.
CAC 40 INDEX 6111.24 0.
DAX INDEX 13789.00 0.
FTSE 100 INDEX 7457.02 1.10-yr note
Yield:
1.56%Close3,386.
Dow Jones30 Industrials
Company Close 1D %Chg Chg %YTD
3M Co 159.34 0.3 -9.
AmerExpCo 136.93 1.0 10.
AppleInc 323.62 1.4 10.
Boeing 338.30 -0.2 3.
Caterpillr 136.86 0.2 -7.
Chevron 110.74 0.5 -8.
Cisco Sys 46.29 -0.6 -3.
Coca-Cola 59.77 0.4 8.
Dow Inc 47.56 -0.4 -13.
ExxonMobil 60.34 0.8 -13.
GldmanSchs 237.33 1.8 3.
HomeDepot 243.64 -0.1 11.
IBM 150.86 -0.2 12.
Intel Corp 67.11 1.5 12.
J&J 148.94 -0.1 2.
Company Close 1D %Chg Chg %YTDJPMorgan 137.49 1.4 -1.
McDonald's 215.63 -0.2 9.
Merck& Co 82.00 -0.6 -9.
Microsoft 187.28 0.0 18.
NIKE Inc 102.46 0.5 1.
PfizerInc 36.23 -0.2 -7.
Prcter&Gmbl 125.44 0.5 0.
TravelersCos I 134.51 -1.0 -1.
UnitedTech 150.68 -0.4 0.
UntdHlthGr 305.31 1.0 3.
VerznComm 58.22 0.5 -5.
Visa Inc 213.31 1.0 13.
Walgreens 52.07 0.4 -11.
Walmart 117.68 -1.6 -0.
Walt Disney 141.30 1.6 -2.1Yr CD Natl
1.30-Yr Fixed mtge
3.69%COMMODITIES EU €
0.INTERNATIONAL STOCK MARKETS6-monthbill
Yield:
1.54%YTD % Change
4.8%15-Yr Fixed mtge
3.19%Canada$
1.1D % Change
0.4%Note: Bank primeis from 10 majorbanks.FederalFundsrate is the market
rate, whichcan vary from the federaltargetrate. LIBORis the London
InterbankOfferedRate. Consumerrates are from Bankrate. All figuresas of
4:30 p.m. New York time.FederalFunds
1.75%Markets YTD % ChgAmericas CloseDaily
% Chg
-5.1% +5.1%
BRAZILIBOVESPAINDEX 116517.60 1.
S&P/TSXCOMPOSITEINDEX 17925.36 0.
S&P/BMVIPC 44901.50 -0.HomeEquityLoan Natl
6.STANDARD & POOR'SData and graphicsby:DOW JONES'BrazilR$
4.YTD % Change
2.8%BY TAYLOR TELFORDWhen Jeannette Rankin be-
came the first woman to serve in
Congress in 191 7, the news media
paid close attention to her style
and personal appearance. In
March of that year, The Washing-
ton Post published a story with
the headline, “Congresswoman
Rankin Real Girl; Likes Nice
Gowns and Tidy H air.” The article,
which w as meant to quash “specu-
lation” t hat Rankin dressed like a
man, described her as “thorough-
ly feminine” a nd detailed her “soft
and clinging gowns” and “high
and distinctively French heels.”
More than a century later, re-
search shows that physical ap-
pearance remains a point of in-
tense scrutiny for female political
candidates, while the looks or
dress of their male peers are
scarcely factored i nto their poten-
tial. Women running for o ffice say
they often feel pressure to look the
part lest they not be taken serious-
ly. But the expense and upkeep of
a professional wardrobe can be a
barrier for many. That’s why
workwear retailer M.M. LaFleur
is offering to lend clothing to
female candidates this year.
“A lot of women can’t afford to
buy the kinds of clothes that peo-
ple expect of candidates,” said
company co-founder Sarah La -
Fleur. “If it’s in any way a hurdle
for these women, it brings me
such joy t hat we can help alleviate
that problem.”
In an email to customers this
week, L aFleur s aid that interested
candidates could contact the com-
pany with their credentials, in-
cluding name, location and de-
scription of the office they’re run-
ning for, to receive five outfits
selected for them b y M.M. LaFleur
stylists. The company has re-
ceived more than 550 responses
from women in state, local and
federal races, and an outpouring
of support from customers about
the program.
“In my day job, I’m a profes-
sional firefighter, as well as a
mother of four. My dress consists
of either a blue uniform and turn-
outs, or jeans and a T-shirt,” one
candidate wrote to M.M. La F leur.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how
stressful the ‘how to dress’ piece of
running for office has been!”
Puzzling through the public’s
demands of what a trustworthy,
professional woman o ught to look
like is an almost impossible task,said Susan Scafidi, academic di-
rector of the Fashion Law Insti-
tute at Fordham University. Stan-
dards for men’s professional
wardrobe have barely changed in
the past century; for women, pro-
fessional fashion is a moving tar-
get. They’re expected to wear jack-
ets that square their shoulders
(without looking too masculine),
skirts that are neither too long nor
too short, unless they opt for trou-
sers (which raise questions of for-
mality) and blouses that are flat-
tering without being revealing.
“There’s never a set of safe
choices for women because theexpectations and messaging
around clothing is constantly
evolving,” Scafidi said. “Female
political candidates have an even
greater challenge, needing to ap-
pear on camera in different outfits
without appearing to spend too
much on clothes, whatever
amount that might be, and thus
having their ability to balance
budgets called into question.”
LaFleur’s company was born
out of frustrations about the time
and resources required for wom-
en to keep up a professional ap-
pearance. After years of working
in private equity and manage-ment consulting, LaFleur said she
was exhausted and annoyed by
the effort required to search for
sharp, appropriate work clothes.
In 2011, she launched M.M. La -
Fleur with Miyako Nakamura —
the former chief designer at Zac
Posen — with the mission “to take
the work out of dressing for work.”
The two built an online brand of
unfussy, smart workwear meant
to appeal to women o f all ages and
body types, from wrinkle-resis-
tant suits to basic shift dresses
and machine-washable work
pants. To ps start at $75, and the
company’s best-selling pants re-tails for $195.
Investors were skeptical that
women would pay hundreds of
dollars for workwear basics, La -
Fleur said, a nd that they’d want to
buy these things online instead of
in traditional brick-and-mortar
stores. But M.M. LaFleur’s perfor-
mance has proved otherwise: The
first pair of pants the brand de-
signed sold out in two hours, and
one basic black wrap dress racked
up a 1,600-person wait list. The
company has dressed Cynthia
Nixon, the “Sex and The City” s tar
who ran for governor of New York,
and Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-
Fla.). Now LaFleur hopes its cloth-
ing will help hundreds more on
the campaign trail.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(D-N.Y.) applauded M.M. La -
Fleur’s offer on Instagram earlier
this week, noting that she relied
on hand-me-downs from friends
before she was sworn in.
“When I was running for office
(even now!), accessing clothing
for the job was a challenge both
logistically and financially,” Oca-
sio-Cortez wrote. “A s a candidate,
a large part of asking people to
vote for you is helping them visu-
alize you on the job. A s a member,
that professionalism helps you
challenge subconscious bias.”
The freshmen women of the
current Congress (which features
more women and people of color
than ever before) have inspired
discussions about red lipstick,
hoop earrings and ethnic garb —
topics that occasionally have over-
shadowed their platforms and
ideas. Conservative critic Eddie
Scarry of the Washington Exam-
iner caused a stir when he tweeted
a picture of Ocasio-Cortez in 2018,
suggesting that her clothes were
too nice for her working-class
background. He deleted it after it
sparked backlash.
“If I walked into Congress
wearing a sack, they would laugh
& take a picture of my backside,”
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in re-
sponse. “If I walk in with my best
sale-rack clothes, they laugh and
take a picture of my backside.”
[email protected]Retailer o≠ers wardrobe assist to women seeking o∞ce
More than 550 respond
in bid to ‘take work out
of dressing for work’Melina Mara/the Washington Post
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stands with other female lawmakers outside the Capitol in January 20 19. “A lot of women can’t
afford to buy the kinds of clothes that people expect of candidates,” said Sarah La F leur, a co-founder of workwear retailer M.M. LaFleur.Take The Post for a run
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