Economic Update for the week of April 29, 2013

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE
WEEKLY QUOTE               “You can be standing right in front of the truth and not necessarily see it, and people only get it when they’re ready to get it.”       - George Harrison           WEEKLY TIP               The first step to saving money is to figure out where you are spending it. Break down essential and inessential costs in your life.       WEEKLY RIDDLE             How can you name three consecutive days without mentioning the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday?        Last week’s riddle: What has a tail and head, but no body?     Last week’s answer: A coin.	April 29, 2013      Q1 GDP COMES IN AT 2.5% The initial estimate of first quarter growth from the Bureau of Economic Analysis disappointed some analysts who had expected 3% expansion or better. Personal consumption and inventory accumulation were the prime sources of growth. Personal spending rose 3.2% in the quarter, but real disposable personal income fell 5.3%, which led the personal savings rate to slip to 2.6% from 4.7% in Q4. The big picture? The economic recovery is definite, but still sluggish. Overall durable goods orders dropped 5.7% in March, according to the Commerce Department.1,2    EXISTING HOME SALES FALL; NEW HOME SALES RISE While March brought a 0.6% dip in residential resales, the National Association of Realtors also noted the 10.3% gain in the pace of home buying from a year before. The Census Bureau reported a 1.5% gain in new home sales last month, with the year-over-year improvement in the sales pace at 18.5%.3      CONSUMERS GROW MORE POSITIVE AS APRIL ENDS Economists polled by Reuters had forecast April’s final consumer sentiment reading from the University of Michigan to rise mildly to 73.2. Instead, it jumped to 76.4. That was still underneath the final March mark of 78.6.4     STOCKS KEEP ADVANCING Across a volatile week, the Dow went +1.13% to settle at 14,712.55 Friday. The NASDAQ (+2.28% to 3,279.26) and S&P 500 (+1.74% to 1,582.24) also improved. At Friday’s close, about half of S&P 500 companies had reported quarterly results; just 42% had surpassed revenue forecasts, but 69% had beaten earnings expectations.4      THIS WEEK: The March consumer spending report arrives Monday, plus NAR’s March pending home sales figures and earnings from Hartford Financial, Newmont Mining and Buffalo Wild Wings. Tuesday offers the Conference Board’s April consumer confidence poll, February’s S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and Q1 results from Pfizer, Aetna, UBS, Deutsche Bank, BP, NYSE Euronext, Sirius XM, US Steel and DreamWorks. Wednesday brings ADP’s April employment report, ISM’s April manufacturing index, a policy statement from the Federal Reserve, and earnings from Facebook, Visa, Allstate, Comcast, MasterCard, Merck, Time Warner, CVS, Chesapeake Energy, Clorox, Humana, CBS, Marriott, MetLife and Yelp. Earnings from Kellogg, GM, Royal Dutch Shell, Beazer Homes, AIG and Kraft Foods come out Thursday, plus April’s Challenger job cut report. On Friday, the Labor Department’s April employment report arrives along with ISM’s April service sector index and quarterly results from Berkshire Hathaway.    % CHANGE Y-T-D 1-YR CHG 5-YR AVG 10-YR AVG DJIA +12.27 +11.42 +2.82 +7.71 NASDAQ +8.60 +7.50 +7.07 +12.86 S&P 500 +10.94 +13.02 +2.64 +7.60 REAL YIELD 4/26 RATE 1 YR AGO 5 YRS AGO 10 YRS AGO 10 YR TIPS -0.68% -0.29% 1.60% 2.18%   Sources: cnbc.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/26/134,5,6,7 Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
Please feel free to forward this article to family, friends or colleagues. If you would like us to add them to our distribution list, please reply with their address. We will contact them first and request their permission to add them to our list.
«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. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. 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 - www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-26/latest-gdp-report-shows-u-s-economy-still-waiting-for-liftoff.html [4/26/13] 2 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2013/04/22-26 [4/26/13] 3 - www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2013/0423/New-home-sales-climb-1.5-percent-bolstering-housing-recovery [4/23/13] 4 - www.cnbc.com/id/100678668 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F26%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F26%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F26%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F25%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F25%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F25%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F25%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F25%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F25%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/26/13] 6 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/26/13] 7 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/26/13]

Economic Update for the week of April 22nd, 2013

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE
WEEKLY QUOTE               “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.”       - Aristotle           WEEKLY TIP               By maintaining an updated business projection sheet outlining expected income and expenses, you can keep a lender posted on how your small business is progressing.       WEEKLY RIDDLE             What has a tail and head, but no body?          Last week’s riddle: You have 31 baseballs in a box. You have 31 kids lined up to get them. You give each kid a baseball, but at the end, one baseball remains in the box. How is this possible?     Last week’s answer: As you give the last baseball away, you give it away within the box – that is, the 31st kid to get a baseball also gets the box.	April 22, 2013      INFLATION DECLINES Consumer prices retreated 0.2% in March as fuel costs fell, a sea change from the 0.7% rise in the Consumer Price Index seen in February. (Labor Department data did show a 0.1% rise in core CPI.) Annualized consumer inflation was at 1.5% in March, down half a percent in a month. Year-over-year inflation hasn’t been so mild since July, and that is reassuring news for the Federal Reserve.1    SURPRISE DIP FOR LEADING INDICATORS After six straight months of advances, the Conference Board’s index of leading indicators unexpectedly retreated 0.1% for March. It had risen 0.5% across January and February. As for anecdotal evidence of the economy’s health, the latest Fed Beige Book noted “moderate” expansion, adding that household spending “grew modestly” even with the payroll tax hike and higher gas prices.2      HOUSING STARTS UP 7.0% IN MARCH The Commerce Department noted that they reached a 1.04 million annual rate last month, a pace last seen in June 2008. While single-family projects dipped 4.8% in March, apartment starts jumped 31.0% to their highest level since January 2006.1     VOLATILITY KEEPS STOCKS IN CHECK The CBOE VIX rose 24.13% last week, and the DJIA (-2.14% to 14,547.51), NASDAQ (-2.70% to 3,206.06) and S&P 500 (-2.11% to 1,555.25) basically gave back the gains realized from April 8-12. NYMEX crude lost 3.1% last week to settle Friday at $88.01; COMEX gold fell another 7.1% last week to $1,395.60 at Friday’s close.3,4,5      THIS WEEK: Monday brings earnings from Netflix, Caterpillar, Halliburton, Hasbro, Zions Bancorp, STMicro and Texas Instruments, and the NAR presents a new existing home sales report. Tuesday, the Census Bureau provides data on March new home sales, the latest FHFA housing index appears, and Discover Financial, Panera Bread, Delta Airlines, United Tech, DuPont, Travelers, Amgen, Apple, AT&T, Broadcom, Cree and Yum! Brands announce earnings. Wednesday, the Commerce Department reports on March durable goods orders; Credit Suisse, Akamai, GlaxoSmithKline, Barclays, Boeing, Ford, Eli Lilly, P&G, Sprint Nextel, Qualcomm, Aflac, Cabot Oil & Gas and Zynga are out with earnings. Starbucks, Coinstar, ExxonMobil, 3M, ConocoPhillips, Altria, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers, UPS, Altera, Baidu and Expedia report quarterly results Thursday; new weekly jobless claims figures also appear. The BEA publishes its first estimate of Q1 GDP Friday, which is also when the final April University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey arrives; complementing those releases, DR Horton, Honda and Chevron announce earnings.    % CHANGE Y-T-D 1-YR CHG 5-YR AVG 10-YR AVG DJIA +11.01 +12.21 +2.64 +7.45 NASDAQ +6.18 +6.60 +6.68 +12.49 S&P 500 +9.05 +12.95 +2.37 +7.40 REAL YIELD 4/19 RATE 1 YR AGO 5 YRS AGO 10 YRS AGO 10 YR TIPS -0.59% -0.21% 1.45% 2.22%   Sources: cnbc.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/19/133,6,7,8 Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
Please feel free to forward this article to family, friends or colleagues. If you would like us to add them to our distribution list, please reply with their address. We will contact them first and request their permission to add them to our list.
«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. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. 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 - www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Housing-Starts-Climb-as-U-S-Consumer-Prices-4438798.php [4/16/13] 2 - www.futuresmag.com/2013/04/18/leading-economic-indicators-index-in-us-unexpected [4/18/13] 3 - www.cnbc.com/id/100656119 [4/19/13] 4 - www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/04/19/market-snapshot-us-stocks-rise-ibm-weighs-on-dow/ [4/19/13] 5 - www.cnbc.com/id/100655012 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F19%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F19%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F19%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F18%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F18%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F18%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F17%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F17%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F17%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/19/13] 7 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/19/13] 8 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/19/13]

Economic Update for the week of April 15th, 2013

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE
WEEKLY QUOTE               “Find somebody else to run your business on a day-to-day basis.”       - Richard Branson           WEEKLY TIP               While home equity and life insurance may present you with sources of retirement income, they do not represent “retirement plans.”       WEEKLY RIDDLE             You have 31 baseballs in a box. You have 31 kids lined up to get them. You give each kid a baseball, but at the end, one baseball remains in the box. How is this possible?          Last week’s riddle: They have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, nor bone. Yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. What are they?     Last week’s answer: Gloves.	April 15, 2013      HOUSEHOLDS BOUGHT LESS LAST MONTH Retail sales were down 0.4% in March, according to the Commerce Department. This unanticipated dip was the deepest retreat in nine months. Even with volatile car and truck sales factored out, the March decline remained 0.4%.1    CONSUMER SENTIMENT SLIPS The University of Michigan’s overall index of consumer sentiment came in at 72.3 in its preliminary April reading – down significantly from the final March mark of 78.6. Last month’s imposed federal budget cuts may have had an effect.1      PRODUCER PRICE INDEX DOWN 0.6% Cheap gasoline was the big factor. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2% retreat in the PPI for March, but the decline in pump prices made more of an impact. Core PPI (with food and energy costs subtracted) rose 0.2% last month.1,2     GOLD ENTERS A BEAR MARKET Friday, the precious metal settled at $1,501.40 on the COMEX after a 4.1% one-day plunge. Futures fell 4.7% across last week. The April 12 settlement price was 20.5% below the record close of $1,888.70 notched on August 22, 2011.3   STOCKS CLIMB 2% IN A WEEK Unfazed by soft economic indicators, Wall Street was in a buying mood last week. After a 2.29% gain in five days left the S&P 500 at 1,588.85 at Friday’s close, investors wondered if the index would top 1,600 soon. The Dow (+2.06% to 14,865.06), NASDAQ (+2.84% to 3,294.95) and Russell 2000 (+2.12% to 942.85) all advanced impressively on the week.2      THIS WEEK: Monday, Citigroup presents Q1 results and a new NAHB Housing Market Index appears. The March CPI arrives Tuesday, along with numbers on March housing starts and earnings from Coca-Cola, Yahoo!, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Northern Trust, US Bancorp, Intel and CSX. Wednesday, the Federal Reserve offers its latest Beige Book and Wall Street awaits earnings from American Express, Bank of NY Mellon, Abbott Labs, Bank of America, eBay and SanDisk. The Conference Board’s March index of leading indicators comes out Thursday, G20 finance ministers meet, and Chipotle, United Health, E-Trade, Philip Morris, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Verizon, Nokia, Peabody Energy, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Capital One report earnings. Friday, earnings from Schlumberger, McDonald’s, GE and Honeywell round out the week.    % CHANGE Y-T-D 1-YR CHG 5-YR AVG 10-YR AVG DJIA +13.44 +14.46 +4.12 +8.12 NASDAQ +9.12 +7.83 +8.77 +14.25 S&P 500 +11.41 +14.51 +3.84 +8.30 REAL YIELD 4/12 RATE 1 YR AGO 5 YRS AGO 10 YRS AGO 10 YR TIPS -0.68% -0.22% 1.19% 2.23%   Sources: cnbc.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/12/132,4,5,6 Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
Please feel free to forward this article to family, friends or colleagues. If you would like us to add them to our distribution list, please reply with their address. We will contact them first and request their permission to add them to our list.
«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. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. 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 - www.nasdaq.com/article/us-stocks-slip-with-weak-consumer-sentiment-retail-data-20130412-00393#.UWhv1cpXqXk [4/12/13] 2 - www.cnbc.com/id/100637362 [4/12/13] 3 - www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-prices-slip-with-weekly-declines-in-sight-2013-04-12 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F12%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F12%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F12%2F12&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F11%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F11%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F11%2F08&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F11%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F11%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 4 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F11%2F03&x=0&y=0 [4/12/13] 5 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/12/13] 6 - www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/12/13]