Presented by Mark Lund, Investor Coach.
WEEKLY QUOTE
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
– Michael Jordan
PRIVATE SECTOR ADDS 150,000+ NEW JOBS
America’s jobless rate ticked down to 9.1% in July as private sector payrolls expanded by a better-than-anticipated 154,000 positions, 81,000 of which were in the health care, retail and manufacturing industries. On the downside, Labor Department data showed that 156,000 people stopped looking for work last month; 6.2 million people have been out of work for six months or longer.1,2
A SILVER LINING IN JUNE’S CONSUMER SPENDING
Basic Commerce Department data shows that personal spending fell 0.2% in June as personal incomes rose just 0.1%. Factor in inflation, and the story differs. Real disposable income increased 0.3% in June for the best advance since May 2010, and inflation-adjusted consumer spending was merely flat for the month.3,4
ISM BAROMETERS INDICATE MODEST GROWTH
The Institute for Supply Management’s latest manufacturing and service sector PMIs didn’t exactly thrill Wall Street. ISM’s manufacturing index declined 4.4% to 50.9 for July, showing a sector that was barely growing for the month. Its service sector PMI descended to a 52.7 reading from June’s 53.3 mark.5
WALL STREET BRACES ITSELF
After Thursday’s 513-point plunge, the Dow swung more than 400 points in Friday’s session and settled with a 61-point gain. While the July jobs report and the European Central Bank’s plan to buy Italian bonds provided a bit of encouragement for Wall Street, Standard & Poor’s discouraged investors worldwide by downgrading the U.S. long-term credit rating from AAA to AA+ Friday evening. The major index performance in the first week of August: S&P 500, -7.19% to 1,199.38; DJIA, -5.75% to 11,444.61; NASDAQ, -8.13% to 2,532.41. As U.S. stocks endured a correction, gold rose $20.50 in five days to $1,648.50 per ounce – its fifth straight weekly gain.6
THIS WEEK: The release schedule is light. No major earnings reports or domestic economic indicators will appear Monday. Tuesday, the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee will almost certainly leave the federal funds rate untouched (we’ll see if they say anything about an additional stimulus); Disney will present 2Q results. Wednesday, Macy’s and Cisco issue 2Q earnings reports and we get a report on wholesale stockpiles for June. Thursday brings earnings from Nordstrom, Kohl’s and Nvidia and another round of initial and continuing jobless claims figures. Friday may offer the most news – Census Bureau data on July retail sales, the initial August consumer sentiment poll from the University of Michigan, data on June business inventories, and 2Q results from JCPenney.
% CHANGE | Y-T-D | 1-YR CHG | 5-YR AVG | 10-YR AVG |
DJIA | -1.15 | +7.21 | +0.36 | +1.00 |
NASDAQ | -4.54 | +10.44 | +4.29 | +2.45 |
S&P 500 | -4.63 | +6.53 | -1.25 | -0.009 |
REAL YIELD | 8/5 RATE | 1 YR AGO | 5 YRS AGO | 10 YRS AGO |
10 YR TIPS | 0.32% | 1.07% | 2.30% | 3.50% |
Sources: cnbc.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov, treasurydirect.gov – 8/5/116,7,8,9 Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
WEEKLY RIDDLE
There is a 5-letter, single-syllable word that you can take 4 letters out of, leaving you with only a single letter that has the same pronunciation as the original 5-letter word. What is this word? (Hint: it involves waiting in line.)
Last week’s riddle:
There are 2 nouns in the English language that become men’s names when you capitalize them – and when you capitalize them, you alter their pronunciation. Name either or both of these 2 nouns, both of which end in ‘b’.
Last week’s answer:
Herb and Job.
Citations.
1 – money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/08/05/along-with-lack-of-jobs-a-wage-problem [8/5/11]
2 – foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/05/when-good-news-is-bad-unemployment-rate-drops-as-workers-bolt-labor-force/ [8/5/11]
3 – bea.gov/newsreleases/national/pi/pinewsrelease.htm [8/2/11]
4 – theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/08/americans-did-not-em-really-em-cut-spending-for-first-time-in-20-months/242965/ [8/2/11]
5 – ism.ws/ISMReport/NonMfgROB.cfml [8/3/11]
6 – cnbc.com/id/44032861 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F5%2F10&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F5%2F10&x=10&y=18 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F5%2F10&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F4%2F06&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F4%2F06&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F4%2F06&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F6%2F01&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F6%2F01&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
7 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F6%2F01&x=0&y=0 [8/5/11]
8 – treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [8/5/11]
8 – treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [8/5/11]
9 – treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2001/ofm71101.pdf [7/11/01]
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. 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. This material was prepared by MarketingLibrary.Net Inc., for Stonecreek Wealth Advisors, Inc. a fee only registered investment advisor firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, providing wealth management services. Mark Lund is the author of The Effective Investor.