Weekly Market News for the Week of March 1, 2010

Presented by Mark Lund, The investor Coach.

Quote of the week. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”– Friedrich Nietzsche

Stocks log best month since November. The S&P 500 rose 2.85% last month even with worries over Greece, China and the U.S. housing and job markets. The S&P had its best February in 12 years.^1,2

4Q GDP revised to 5.9%. That tops the initial 5.7% estimate from the Commerce Department. It means 4Q 2009 was the strongest quarter since 3Q 2003.³

Home sales in deep freeze. The January numbers were very poor: -7.2% for residential resales, -11.2% for new homes. However, existing home sales were 11.5% above where they had been a year before.⁴

Case-Shiller index: home prices rising. The widely watched 20-city home price index posted its seventh straight monthly gain in December. Prices increased in 15 of the index’s 20 metro areas.⁵

Durable goods orders up 3.0%. The January figure from the Commerce Department was hugely positive. Yet with transportation orders factored out, durable goods orders were down 0.6%.⁵

Less confidence last month? The February Conference Board index of consumer confidence fell to 46.0 from 55.9 in January. The index’s assessment of current conditions was the lowest since 1983.⁶

Soft week but strong month. The major U.S. indexes lost from 0.25% (NASDAQ) to 0.74% (Dow) last week. Monthly gains were quite strong: DJIA, +2.56%; NASDAQ, +4.23%; S&P 500, +2.85%.¹

(Source: CNBC.com, CNNMoney.com, ustreas.gov, bls.gov, 2/26/10)^1,7,8,9
Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be
invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.

Riddle of the week. Al gives Jane three boxes, one labeled DIAMONDS, one labeled PEARLS and one labeled DIAMONDS OR PEARLS. He tells her that all three boxes are labeled incorrectly and that one box contains diamonds, one pearls and the other emeralds. Al then tells Jane that if she can guess the contents of any box without opening it, she can keep the contents. How many boxes must Jane open to do this, and/or how many boxes can she keep?

Contact my office or see next week’s Update for the answer.

Last week’s riddle: In 15 minutes, a dress will dry on a clothes wire. How long would it take you to dry five dresses?

Last week’s riddle answer: 15 minutes.

Citations.
1 cnbc.com/id/35601889 [2/26/10]
2 cnbc.com/id/35607823 [2/26/10]
3 online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704625004575089030822996718.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection [2/26/10]
4 latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/02/sales-of-existing-homes-fall-72-in-january.html [2/26/10]
5 sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/23/financial/f112032S90.DTL [2/23/10]
6 smartmoney.com/investing/economy/the-other-consumer-confidence-index/ [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F26%2F09&mode=add&symb=DJIA [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F05&mode=add&symb=DJIA [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F00&mode=add&symb=DJIA [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F26%2F09&mode=add&symb=COMP [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F05&mode=add&symb=COMP [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F00&mode=add&symb=COMP [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F26%2F09&mode=add&symb=SPX [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F05&mode=add&symb=SPX [2/26/10]
7 money.cnn.com/quote/historical/historical.html?pg=hi&close_date=2%2F25%2F00&mode=add&symb=SPX [2/26/10]
8 ustreas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/debt-management/interest-rate/real_yield.shtml [2/26/10]
8 ustreas.gov/offices/domestic-finance/debt-management/interest-rate/real_yield_historical.shtml [2/26/10]
9 treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2000/ofm11200.pdf [1/12/00]

These views are those of Peter Montoya Inc., and not the Representative’s Broker/Dealer, and should not be construed as investment advice. 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. 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. The 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 other expert assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. Please consult your Financial Advisor for further information. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards.