Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Economic Update for the week of April 29th, 2014

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE


WEEKLY QUOTE
              
“Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”
     
- Sophia Loren
     
   
WEEKLY TIP
             
Sometimes life hands you big surprises that affect your finances. On such occasions, your long-term investment or retirement strategy may need to be reassessed.
  
   
WEEKLY RIDDLE
           
What 10-letter word (in English) can you type out using only the topmost row of letters on a computer keyboard (the Q-P row)? Hint: the first two letters of the word are next to each other in the Q-P row.
     
 
Last week’s riddle:
I have a horn and am almost as large as a car, but I will never honk my horn or outrun a car or truck. What might I be?
   
Last week’s answer:
A rhinoceros.

April 29, 2014
    
CONSUMER OPTIMISM INCREASES
At a final April mark of 84.1, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index hit a 9-month high. It climbed 4.1 points above the final March reading. The survey’s sub-index of current economic conditions came in at a 7-year high of 98.7.1
   
HOME SALES TAIL OFF
While the National Association of Realtors announced only a 0.2% retreat in existing home sales for March, the Census Bureau noted a 14.5% plunge in new home sales on the month. Shrinking inventory, rising mortgage rates and less groundbreaking have helped cool the housing market. Existing home sales have increased in only one month out of the last eight.2
   
RISING DEMAND FOR BIG-TICKET ITEMS
Hard goods orders were up 2.6% in March, the Census Bureau announced; this was on the heels of a 2.1% rise in February. Minus transportation orders, the gain was still 2.0%. Analysts polled by Briefing.com had forecast merely a 2.0% improvement in the headline number.3
 
UKRAINE TENSIONS WEIGH ON STOCKS
Standard & Poor’s cut Russia’s debt rating to BBB- on Friday. As investors weren’t terribly thrilled by earnings last week to begin with, minor weekly declines came for the Dow (0.28% to 16,361.46), Nasdaq (0.49% to 4,075.56) and S&P 500 (0.08% to 1,863.40).4,5,6
  
THIS WEEK: Monday brings earnings from Buffalo Wild Wings, HealthSouth, Denny’s and Herbalife along with NAR’s report on March pending home sales. On Tuesday, the latest Conference Board consumer confidence index arrives, plus the February S&P/Case-Shiller home price index and quarterly results from eBay, Valero Energy, MGM Resorts, Hertz, Marriott, Merck, Sprint, Twitter, U.S. Steel and Archer-Daniels-Midland and Deutsche Bank. The Federal Reserve makes a policy statement Wednesday; before that, Wall Street gets the March ADP employment report, the first estimate of Q1 GDP from the BEA and earnings from Coca-Cola, First Solar, GlaxoSmithKline, Royal Dutch Shell, Western Digital, Yelp, Zillow, Barrick Gold, Thomson Reuters and Time Warner. Thursday, Fed chair Janet Yellen speaks in Washington, the ISM April factory PMI and March personal spending report appear, new initial claims numbers are out, and Clorox, Cigna, Viacom, ConocoPhillips, Domino’s, Kraft Foods, Expedia, Exxon Mobil, Fluor, Kellogg and LinkedIn post earnings. Friday, the April jobs report and March factory orders report arrive from Washington and China’s official April service sector PMI appears.  
  
% CHANGE
Y-T-D
1-YR CHG
5-YR AVG
10-YR AVG
DJIA
-1.30
+11.30
+20.52
+5.66
NASDAQ
-2.42
+23.88
+28.11
+10.01
S&P 500
+0.81
+17.55
+23.02
+6.41
REAL YIELD
4/25 RATE
1 YR AGO
5 YRS AGO
10 YRS AGO
10 YR TIPS
0.48%
-0.66%
1.53%
2.03%
 

Sources: USATODAY.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/25/146,7,8,9
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 MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. 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. 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. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. 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 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 - tinyurl.com/n2hh8eh [4/25/14]
2 - denverpost.com/realestatenews/ci_25625267/new-home-sales-fall-14-5-march [4/24/14]
3 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2014/04/21-25 [4/25/14]
4 - bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-04-25/russia-s-rating-cut-to-bbb-by-standard-poor-s.html [4/25/14]
5 - google.com/finance?q=INDEXDJX:.DJI&ei=KdtaU9iDEe_ZigKvpgE&client=news [4/25/14]
6 - usatoday.com/money/markets/overview/ [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F25%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F25%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F25%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F24%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F24%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F24%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F26%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F26%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F26%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/25/14]        
8 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/25/14]
9 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/25/14]

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Economic Update for the week of April 22nd, 2014

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE


WEEKLY QUOTE
              
“The worst days of those who enjoy what they do are better than the best days of those who don’t.”
     
- Jim Rohn
     
   
WEEKLY TIP
             
Moving to a new state? Double-check your estate planning documents to see if any changes need to be made.
  
   
WEEKLY RIDDLE
           
I have a horn and am almost as large as a car, but I will never honk my horn or outrun a car or truck. What might I be?
     
 
Last week’s riddle:
I can certainly run, but I will never be able to walk by myself. Wherever I go, thoughts are close behind me. What am I?
   
Last week’s answer:
A nose.

April 22, 2014
    
CONSUMER PRICES ADVANCE 0.2%
In reviewing March’s mild increase in household inflation, two statistics stand out. The Consumer Price Index measured a 2.7% year-over-year rise in shelter costs (the largest annual gain in six years). Americans also paid 0.4% for food last month. Annualized consumer inflation reached 1.5% in March, up from 1.1% for February.1
   
MARCH PUTS HOUSEHOLDS IN A BUYING MOOD
Retail sales rose 1.1% last month, bettering the (revised) 0.7% advance in February. Census Bureau data showed core retail sales (minus auto buying) up 0.7% for March; they increased 0.3% a month earlier.2
   
FACTORIES & BUILDERS GROW BUSIER  
According to Federal Reserve data, March was another solid month for industrial output – production rose 0.7%, and the Fed revised the February advance to 1.2%. Groundbreaking by builders increased 2.8% in March, though the Census Bureau also measured a 2.4% decline in building permits.2,3
 
BULLS RUN AGAIN
Stocks got a lift last week as the pace of China’s economic growth topped forecasts and Fed chair Janet Yellen stated that the central bank has a “continuing commitment” to supporting the economy. The weekly gains: NASDAQ, 2.39% to 4,095.52; Dow, 2.37% to 16,408.54; S&P 500, 2.71% to 1,864.85.4,5,6
  
THIS WEEK: On Monday, earnings roll in from Kimberly-Clark, Netflix and Hasbro and the Conference Board’s March LEI also appears. Tuesday brings March existing home sales figures, the April FHFA home price index and earnings from Bank of NY Mellon, Amgen, Harley-Davidson, Comcast, McDonald's, Travelers, Xerox, AT&T, Discover Financial, Yum Brands, Lockheed Martin and Lexmark. March new home sales numbers are out Wednesday, plus quarterly results from Dow Chemical, Owens Corning, Boeing, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Ericsson, Northrop Grumman, TD Ameritrade, Ingersoll-Rand, E*Trade, Zynga, Texas Instruments, Snapple, Delta Airlines, Raymond James, Safeway and Qualcomm. Thursday, earnings from Broadcom, Under Armour, Starbucks, Jet Blue, Altria, General Motors, Starwood, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Caterpillar, Verizon, 3M, UPS, T. Rowe Price, Novartis, PulteGroup, Raytheon, AstraZeneca, Occidental Petroleum, Eli Lilly, Dunkin Brands, DR Horton and Pandora arrive plus data on March hard goods orders and a new initial claims report. Friday, the University of Michigan’s final April consumer sentiment index comes out, plus earnings from State Street, Colgate-Palmolive, Ford, Goodyear, Honda, Weyerhaeuser and Tyco.  
  
% CHANGE
Y-T-D
1-YR CHG
5-YR AVG
10-YR AVG
DJIA
-1.01
+12.24
+20.36
+5.70
NASDAQ
-1.94
+27.80
+28.96
+10.52
S&P 500
+0.89
+20.16
+22.89
+6.44
REAL YIELD
4/17 RATE
1 YR AGO
5 YRS AGO
10 YRS AGO
10 YR TIPS
0.52%
-0.64%
1.70%
1.87%
 

Sources: USATODAY.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/17/146,7,8,9
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 MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. 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. 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. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. 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 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 - marketwatch.com/story/consumer-prices-rise-02-in-march-2014-04-15 [4/15/14]
2 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2014/04/14-18 [4/17/14]
3 - latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-housing-starts-20140416,0,4151864.story [4/16/14]
4 - bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-16/u-s-stocks-maintain-gains-as-yellen-signals-support.html [4/16/14]
5 - google.com/finance?q=INDEXDJX:.DJI&ei=5IRQU7iUAaSsiQK1Kw [4/17/14]
6 - usatoday.com/money/markets/overview/ [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F17%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F17%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F17%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F17%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F17%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F17%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F16%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F16%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]
7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F16%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/17/14]         
8 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/17/14]
9 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/17/14]


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Economic Update for the week of April 15th, 2014

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE


WEEKLY QUOTE
              
“The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealized past.”
     
- Robertson Davies
     
   
WEEKLY TIP
             
If you’re wondering about going Roth with your IRA, talk with a financial professional to determine whether or not the move makes sense. If you are a younger IRA owner who anticipates retiring to a higher tax bracket, it might.
  
   
WEEKLY RIDDLE
           
I can certainly run, but I will never be able to walk by myself. Wherever I go, thoughts are close behind me. What am I?
     
 
Last week’s riddle:
It can only be broken with force, yet it can be dulled by contact with a piece of paper. What is it?
   
Last week’s answer:
A pencil.

April 15, 2014
    
HOUSEHOLD SENTIMENT REACHES 9-MONTH PEAK
The University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment rose 2.6 points in its preliminary April reading, bouncing back from a 4-month low of 80.0 at the end of March to a high unseen since last July. From 2003-07, the index averaged a reading of 89.0; during the 2007-09 recession, its average mark was just 64.2.1
   
PRODUCER PRICES ROSE 0.5% IN MARCH
You have to go back to last June (when wholesale inflation spiked 0.8%) to find such a sizable monthly advance in the Producer Price Index. The PPI had retreated 0.1% in February. A 1.1% monthly increase in wholesale food costs was a big factor. Annualized wholesale inflation rose to 1.4% in March, up from 0.9% for February.1,2
   
OIL, GAS, GOLD LOG NOTABLE GAINS  
NYMEX crude was worth $103.74 per barrel at Friday’s close thanks to a 2.6% advance during the week. On April 10, AAA’s weekly survey found a gallon of unleaded averaging $3.62 nationally, which was an 8-month peak. An ounce of gold was worth $1,319.00 as the COMEX trading week ended, with futures up 1.2% in five days; an ounce of palladium was worth $806.80, a high unseen since 2011.1,3
 
NASDAQ SETTLES BELOW 4,000
A 3.10% plunge across five trading days took the Nasdaq Composite to a Friday close of 3,999.73. The Dow and S&P 500 also went red on the week – the blue chips retreated 2.35% to 16,026.75 and the S&P fell 2.64% to 1,815.69.4,5
  
THIS WEEK: Earnings from Citigroup, Capital One, Piper Jaffray, Overstock.com and American Airlines arrive Monday, complementing data on March retail sales and February business inventories. Yahoo!, Coca-Cola, Intel and Charles Schwab report quarterly results Tuesday, which is also when the March CPI and the April NAHB housing market index appear. Wednesday offers a new Beige Book and a report on March industrial output from the Federal Reserve, Census Bureau data on March housing starts and building permits, and earnings from IBM, Google, SanDisk, US Bancorp, American Express, Bank of America, First Republic Bank, PNC and Kinder Morgan. Thursday, earnings from Philip Morris, BlackRock, AutoNation, Mattel, Fifth Third, Chipotle, Morgan Stanley, General Electric, Honeywell, BB&T, UnitedHealth, Sherwin Williams, Union Pacific and PepsiCo appear along with new initial claims numbers; the bond market will close early. March 18 is Good Friday: U.S. financial markets will be closed, and no economic data or major earnings news will be released.
  
% CHANGE
Y-T-D
1-YR CHG
5-YR AVG
10-YR AVG
DJIA
-3.32
+7.81
+19.65
+5.24
NASDAQ
-4.23
+21.20
+28.41
+9.36
S&P 500
-1.77
+13.95
+22.39
+5.85
REAL YIELD
4/11 RATE
1 YR AGO
5 YRS AGO
10 YRS AGO
10 YR TIPS
0.50%
-0.65%
1.62%
1.81%
 

Sources: USATODAY.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 4/11/145,6,7,8
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 MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. 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. 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. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. 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 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 - bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-11/michigan-u-s-sentiment-index-increased-to-82-6-in-april-from-80.html [4/11/14]
2 - investing.com/economic-calendar/ [4/11/14]
3 - proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/53395/gold-up-12-for-the-week-oil-picks-up-26-palladium-hits-2011-high-53395.html [4/11/14]
4 - google.com/finance?q=INDEXSP%3A.INX&ei=11VIU_C8JaXLiQKgzgE [4/11/14]
5 - usatoday.com/money/markets/overview/ [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F11%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F11%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F11%2F13&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F9%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F9%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F9%2F09&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=4%2F12%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=4%2F12%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]
6 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=4%2F12%2F04&x=0&y=0 [4/11/14]         
7 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [4/11/14]
8 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [4/11/14]