Growth Report – Monday, August 6, 2018

ECONOMY ADDS 157,000 NET NEW JOBS
Employers expanded their payrolls in July, but new Department of Labor data showed the hiring pace slowing down. May and June gains, however, were revised up by a combined 59,000, bringing average monthly job growth over the past three months to 224,000. Even with fewer hires, the headline unemployment rate ticked down to 3.9%, and the U-6 rate (factoring in underemployed workers) dropped 0.3% to 7.5%, underneath where it was in July 2017. Last month, wages had improved 2.7%, year-over-year.1

GOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMER SPENDING AND CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
Personal spending, according to the Department of Commerce, rose 0.4% during June on the heels of a 0.5% May climb. Personal incomes improved by 0.4% in June, duplicating the number from May. Beating the 127.0 forecast of analysts surveyed by MarketWatch, the Conference Board’s July consumer confidence index rose 0.3 points to 127.4.2

ISM PURCHASING MANAGER INDICES DECLINE
While still in fine shape, the Institute for Supply Management’s twin gauges measuring economic activity in the factory and service sectors fell last month. The Institute’s manufacturing PMI went from a 60.2 June reading to a 58.1 July mark. ISM’s non-manufacturing PMI lost 3.4 points on the month, heading down to 55.7.3

STOCKS ADVANCE FOR A FIFTH STRAIGHT WEEK
Up 0.76% over five trading sessions, the S&P 500 settled at 2,840.35, Friday. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.96% for the week, reaching 7,812.01 at Friday’s closing bell. Blue chips were flat for the week: the Dow Industrials gained but 0.05% to 25,462.58. All three indices were positive for Friday, even with news that China planned to levy import taxes on $60 billion more of American exports.4,5

T I P O F T H E W E E K

Usually, there is little point in trying to negotiate a financial aid package for a student at one university by referencing another offer made by a different school. Most colleges have tight financial aid budgets to begin with and firm award guidelines for financial aid officers to follow.

THIS WEEK
Monday’s earnings parade includes announcements from Andeavor, Boise Cascade, Hertz Global Holdings, Marriott International, Mosaic, Sempra Energy, Tyson Foods, and Weight Watchers. | Tuesday, Wall Street considers earnings from Aramark, Avis Budget Group, Camping World, Dean Foods, Discovery Channel, Hostess Brands, Invacare, Office Depot, Papa John’s, Snap, Walt Disney Co., and Wendy’s. | Earnings from CVS Health, Green Dot, Horizon Pharma, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Manulife, Michael Kors, Monster Beverage, Roku, Sinclair Broadcasting, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Sunoco, TiVo, Twenty-First Century Fox, U.S. Auto Parts, Weibo, Wyndham Destinations, and Yelp appear Wednesday. | Thursday, the July Producer Price Index arrives, along with a new initial jobless claims report and earnings from Gannett, Lions Gate, News Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line, Planet Fitness, Tronc, Viacom, and Vista Outdoor. | Friday marks the appearance of the July Consumer Price Index.

Q U O T E O F T H E W E E K

“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.”
DANIEL BOORSTIN

Sources: wsj.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov – 8/3/185,6,7,8
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.

T H E W E E K L Y R I D D L E

Gary drops an egg onto a sidewalk. The egg doesn’t break after falling 3 feet. Why?

LAST WEEK’S RIDDLE: What can you feel but never touch, hear but never see?
ANSWER: The wind.

CITATIONS:

1 – nbcnews.com/business/economy/price-rising-employment-slow-wage-growth-trade-risks-n897461 [8/3/18]
2 – marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic [8/3/18]
3 – instituteforsupplymanagement.org/ISMReport/NonMfgROB.cfm [8/3/18]
4 – foxbusiness.com/markets/stock-futures-cautiously-lower-ahead-of-july-jobs-report [8/3/18]
5 – markets.wsj.com/us [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F3%2F17&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F3%2F17&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F3%2F17&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F2%2F13&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F2%2F13&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F2%2F13&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=8%2F4%2F08&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=8%2F4%2F08&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
6 – bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=8%2F4%2F08&x=0&y=0 [8/3/18]
7 – treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield [8/3/18]
8 – treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [8/3/18]   

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 Mark Lund, Mark is known as a Wealth Advisor, The 401k Advisor, Investor Coach, The Financial Advisor, The Financial Planner and author of The Effective Investor.  Mark offers investment advisory services through Stonecreek Wealth Advisors, Inc. a fiduciary, independent, fee-only, Registered Investment Advisor firm providing investment and retirement planning for individuals and 401k consulting for small businesses.  Cities served but not limited to are: Park City, Salt Lake City, Murray City, West Jordan City, Sandy City, Draper City, South Jordan City, Provo City, Orem City, Lehi City, Highland City, Alpine City, and American Fork City in Utah.