Weekly Economic Update for December 26, 2016

Main Street Financial Presents:

WEEKLY QUOTE

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

- Willa Cather

WEEKLY TIP

If you are older than 50 with substantial retirement savings, you might want to look at your asset allocation in terms of how little you are willing to lose. If your asset allocation is more or less the way it was several years ago, it may be time to revisit it.

WEEKLY RIDDLE

What time of day is spelled the same forwards and backwards?

Last week’s riddle:

So gentle it soothes the skin, so forceful it cracks rocks, so light it serves as a mirror to the clouds. What could it be?

Last week’s answer:

Water.

December 26, 2016

HOUSEHOLD SPENDING SLOWS IN NOVEMBER

Last month, consumer spending increased 0.2%, while consumer incomes were flat. November was the first month in nine in which household incomes failed to rise, and the consumer spending advance was half that of October. Even so, with consumer confidence indices and other economic indicators becoming stronger, the November figures may represent an anomaly. Another Department of Commerce report revised third-quarter growth up to 3.5%.1

CONSUMER OPTIMISM AT A 13-YEAR PEAK 

The University of Michigan’s last consumer sentiment index of 2016 came in at 98.2, 4.4 points above its final November mark. It has not been that high since January 2004. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected an advance to 98.0.2

HOME SALES RISE AS TEMPERATURES DROP

Resales were up 0.7% last month, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Census Bureau recorded a 5.2% November gain in new home buying. In October, new home sales fell 1.4%, while existing home sales improved 1.5%.3

CORE PCE PRICE INDEX SHOWS 1.6% YEARLY ADVANCE

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation meter was flat in November after ticking up 0.1% in October. The annualized gain was thereby reduced 0.2% to a number well under the central bank’s 2.0% target.1,3

SMALL WEEKLY GAINS FOR STOCKS

Across the last five trading days, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite all gained a little ground. The blue chips rose another 0.46% to 19,933.81; the S&P, another 0.25% to 2,263.79. As for the Nasdaq, the tech benchmark gained 0.47% to settle at 5,462.69 Friday. More consequential, perhaps, was the descent of the CBOE VIX. The “fear index,” gauging market volatility, ended the week at a remarkably low 11.44, falling 6.23% in five days.4

THIS WEEK: U.S. stock and bond markets will be closed Monday in observance of the Christmas Day holiday. Tuesday, the Conference Board releases its last consumer confidence index of 2016 and the October S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index appears. The NAR issues its November pending home sales report on Wednesday. Investors consider the latest initial unemployment claims figures on Thursday. Nothing major is slated for Friday.

Sources: wsj.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 12/23/164,5,6,7

Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends. 10-year TIPS real yield = projected return at maturity given expected inflation.

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This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. The information herein has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note - investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. 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 market indices discussed are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. Indices do not incur management fees, costs and expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a 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 a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. 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. MarketingPro, Inc. is not affiliated with any person or firm that may be providing this information to you. 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 - reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-idUSKBN14B1J8 [12/22/16]

2 - cnbc.com/2016/12/23/consumer-sentiment-reports-for-december-2016.html [12/23/16]

3 - investing.com/economic-calendar/ [12/23/16]

4 - markets.wsj.com/us [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=12%2F23%2F15&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=12%2F23%2F15&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=12%2F23%2F15&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=12%2F23%2F11&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=12%2F23%2F11&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=12%2F23%2F11&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=12%2F22%2F06&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=12%2F22%2F06&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

5 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=12%2F22%2F06&x=0&y=0 [12/23/16]

6 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [12/23/16]

7 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [12/23/16]