Economic Update for the week of April 9th, 2012

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE
WEEKLY QUOTE “The more that you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.”   - Bill Nye WEEKLY TIP A Roth IRA can be used to save for your future and your children's future. The money can help fund your retirement and it can optionally help to fund a child’s college education. WEEKLY RIDDLE Karen is twice her brother’s age and half her father’s age. In 22 years, her brother will be half the father’s age. How old is Karen now? Last week’s riddle: Take one letter out of a 7-letter word and it becomes longer. What is this word? Last week’s answer: Lounger.	April 9, 2012    UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS TO 8.2% That good news was tempered by some disappointments. The U.S. economy only managed a net gain of 120,000 non-farm jobs in March; analysts were hoping for a gain of at least 200,000. The private sector added 121,000 positions in March; ADP had projected an increase of 209,000. However, the underemployment rate declined again last month (to 14.5%) and the manufacturing sector grew by 37,000 jobs.1     ONE PMI TOPS EXPECTATIONS; ANOTHER DOESN’T The start of each month brings the latest surveys of purchasing managers from the Institute for Supply Management. ISM’s March service sector PMI came in at 56.0 and its March manufacturing PMI came in at 53.4. Economists polled by Briefing.com thought the manufacturing PMI would reach 53.0 and the service sector PMI would reach 56.7.2     A GREAT MARCH FOR AUTOMAKERS Warm weather fostered greater car and truck buying. The following firms reported the following monthly sales increases last week: General Motors, 12%; Chrysler Group, 34%, Toyota, 15%; Ford, 5%; Volkswagen, 35%; Nissan, 12.5%.3     OIL ADVANCES, GOLD SLIPS Oil prices rose 0.28% last week to settle at $103.31 a barrel on the NYMEX, while retail unleaded gas prices averaged $3.94 a gallon nationally on Friday. Gold futures fell 2.50% on the COMEX to wrap up last week at $1,630.10 an ounce.1     STOCKS RETREAT IN SHORT TRADING WEEK Across four market days, the Dow lost 1.15% to 13,060.14, the S&P 500 fell 0.74% to 1,398.08 and the NASDAQ dipped 0.36% to 3,080.50. So the worst week for stocks so far in 2012 wasn’t that bad. A contributing factor: the minutes from the March 13 FOMC meeting signaled that the Federal Reserve might not attempt further stimulus efforts. However, the March jobs report could help to alter the Fed’s outlook.1    THIS WEEK: Monday evening, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke speaks at the Atlanta Fed’s Financial Markets Conference. Tuesday, Alcoa offers Q1 results. Wednesday, the Fed puts out a new Beige Book and earnings arrive from Progressive. Thursday, the March PPI is out to complement weekly initial claims numbers and earnings from Google and Rite Aid. Friday brings the March CPI, the initial April consumer sentiment survey from the University of Michigan, and earnings reports from Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan; also, Ben Bernanke speaks in New York about the federal policy response to the Great Recession. % CHANGE Y-T-D 1-YR CHG 5-YR AVG 10-YR AVG DJIA +6.90 +5.10 +0.80 +2.71 NASDAQ +18.25 +10.02 +4.93 +7.40 S&P 500 +11.17 +4.68 -0.63 +2.45 REAL YIELD 4/6 RATE 1 YR AGO 5 YRS AGO 10 YRS AGO 10 YR TIPS -0.16% 0.99% 2.27% 3.48% Sources: msn.money.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov, treasurydirect.gov - 4/6/121,5,6,7 Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
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«RepresentativeDisclosure» This material was prepared by MarketingLibrary.Net Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. Marketing Library.Net Inc. is not affiliated with any broker or brokerage firm that may be providing this information to you. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is an unmanaged, market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System. The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. NYSE Group, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) operates two securities exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and NYSE Arca (formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange, or ArcaEx®, and the Pacific Exchange). NYSE Group is a leading provider of securities listing, trading and market data products and services. The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX) is the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals, with trading conducted through two divisions – the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets, and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. Market indices discussed are unmanaged. Investors cannot invest in unmanaged indices. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. Citations. 1 - money.msn.com/market-news/post.aspx?post=98ca0651-75b8-4c7e-afb9-3e390da03ecf/ [4/6/12] 2 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2012/04/02-06 [4/6/12] 3 - www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-04/D9TTICGO2.htm [4/3/12] 4 - montoyaregistry.com/Financial-Market.aspx?financial-market=common-financial-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them&category=29 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F6%2F11&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F6%2F11&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F6%2F11&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F5%2F07&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F5%2F07&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F5%2F07&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F5%2F02&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F5%2F02&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F5%2F02&x=0&y=0 [4/6/12] 6 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/6/12] 6 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/6/12] 7 - treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2002/ofm10902.pdf [1/9/02]