Weekly Economic Update for November 6, 2017

Dominic Nibbelink |

­Main Street Financial Presents:

 

WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE

 

 

 

WEEKLY QUOTE

           

“All generalizations are dangerous, even this one.”

   

- Alexandre Dumas

     

   

WEEKLY TIP

           

While many company benefits plans offer short-term disability insurance, that coverage usually lasts just 90 days. Because of this, parents (especially single parents) really need to consider some form of long-term disability coverage.

   

  

WEEKLY RIDDLE

           

I am heartless and spineless and live mostly in the dark. When you encounter me, I may try to sting you. What am I?  

   

 

Last week’s riddle:

Isabella’s mother has three children. The first child’s name is April. The second child’s name is May. What is the third child’s name?  

  

Last week’s answer:

Isabella.

 

 

 

November 6, 2017

   

HIRING REBOUNDS, INDUSTRIES EXPAND

According to the Department of Labor, October brought a net gain of 261,000 jobs. (Last month’s net loss of 33,000 was revised to a net gain of 18,000.) The headline unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, while the broader U-6 rate fell to 7.9% (down 1.3% in 12 months). Wages were up 2.4% year-over-year. The Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing manager indices alternately rose and fell in October. The readings were strong: 58.7 for the factory PMI (down 2.1 points), 60.1 for the service sector PMI (up 0.3 points).1,2

 

CONSUMER SPENDING, CONFIDENCE IMPRESS

Personal spending rose 1.0% in September, helped by households replacing vehicles and goods damaged in hurricanes and floods. This was the largest monthly advance in more than eight years. Personal wages improved 0.4%. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index climbed 6.1 points to 125.9 in October; economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected a reading of 121.3.2,3

 

Jerome POWELL NOMINATED TO LEAD FED

If his nomination is approved, the Federal Reserve governor and former investment banker will become chairman when Janet Yellen’s term ends in February. He is expected to maintain the Fed’s current strategy for normalizing monetary policy. The central bank held interest rates steady at its November meeting. Bloomberg puts the odds of a December rate hike at 85%.4,5

 

another ADVANCE FOR STOCKS

All three major indices rose last week, with the gains paralleling those of the previous week. The respective improvements: S&P 500, 0.26% to 2,587.84; Nasdaq Composite, 0.94% to 6,764.44; Dow Jones Industrial Average, 0.45% to 23,539.19.6

     

THIS WEEK: On Monday, AMC Entertainment, Avis Budget Group, CVS Health, Etsy, GoDaddy, Michael Kors, Priceline, Sysco, TripAdvisor, and Weight Watchers announce earnings. Tuesday’s earnings roll call includes news from Container Store, Dean Foods, Extended Stay America, Green Dot, Invacare, Marcus & Millichap, Marriott International, Snap, Take-Two Interactive, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Zynga. AmeriGas, Hostess Brands, Humana, Square, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Twenty-First Century Fox, Valvoline, and Wendy’s release earnings Wednesday. Thursday, earnings news streams in from AstraZeneca, D.R. Horton, Walt Disney Co., Hertz Global Holdings, Lionsgate, News Corp., and Time. November’s initial University of Michigan consumer sentiment index appears Friday, plus Q3 results from ArcelorMittal.

 

% CHANGE

Y-T-D

1-YR CHG

5-YR AVG

10-YR AVG

DJIA

+19.11

+31.28

+15.96

+7.31

NASDAQ

+25.66

+33.73

+25.37

+14.07

S&P 500

+15.59

+23.90

+16.60

+7.14

REAL YIELD

11/3 RATE

1 YR AGO

5 YRS AGO

10 YRS AGO

10 YR TIPS

0.48%

0.14%

-0.73%

1.92%

 


Sources: wsj.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 11/3/176,7,8,9

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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 - forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2017/11/03/payrolls-rebound-from-hurricane-losses-adding-261000-jobs-in-october/ [11/3/17]

2 - marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic [11/3/17]

3 - bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-30/u-s-consumer-spending-rises-most-since-2009-on-auto-purchases [10/30/17]

4 - csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/1103/Trump-taps-Jerome-Powell-for-Federal-Reserve-chair [11/3/17]

5 - businessinsider.com/fed-statement-november-2017-11 [11/1/17]

6 - markets.wsj.com/us [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=11%2F3%2F16&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=11%2F3%2F16&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=11%2F3%2F16&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=11%2F2%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=11%2F2%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=11%2F2%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=11%2F2%2F07&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=11%2F2%2F07&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

7 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=11%2F2%2F07&x=0&y=0 [11/3/17]

8 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [11/3/17]

9 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [11/3/17]