A weekly update from Jeff Mitchell, your Trusted Advisor.
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Market Week: March 14, 2016
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The Markets
Both the large-cap Dow
and S&P 500 posted gains for the fourth consecutive week, helped by a
late rally at week's end. The latest run of gains has pulled the Dow
and S&P 500 to within 1.22% and 1.06% of their 2015 year-end levels.
The Global Dow, possibly boosted by additional stimulus measures
announced by the European Central Bank, gained 1.2% and is also closing
in on its 2015 closing value. The midcaps also posted marginal gains of
under 1%, and remain farthest away from their 2015 year-end levels
compared to the other indexes listed here.
The price of crude oil
(WTI) is clearly trending upward as the price increased again last week,
closing the week at $38.49 a barrel, $2.16 ahead of the prior week's
closing price. The price of gold (COMEX) fell by last week's end,
selling at $1,251.10 by late Friday afternoon, down from the prior
week's closing price of $1,260.10. The national average retail regular
gasoline price increased for the third week in a row, selling at $1.841
per gallon on March 7, 2016, $0.058 over the prior week's price but
$0.646 under a year ago.
Last Week's Headlines
- In a further effort to boost its sagging economy, the European
Central Bank initiated additional stimulus moves intended to spur the
eurozone's low inflation. Only three months after instituting
similar--though less comprehensive measures--the latest ECB program
includes cutting interest rates and increasing its monthly bond
purchases. ECB President Mario Draghi said the latest stimulus measures
are intended to "further ease financing conditions, stimulate new credit
provision and thereby reinforce the momentum of the euro area's
economic recovery and accelerate the return of inflation to levels
below, but close to, 2.0%." With euro area inflation dropping to -0.2%
in February from 0.3% in January, Draghi cautioned that the Governing
Council will closely monitor price-setting behavior and wage
developments to "ensure that the current low inflation environment does
not become entrenched in second-round effects on wage and
price-setting." How these moves will affect the eurozone economy and the
U.S. equity markets remains to be seen.
- The Treasury statement for February shows the federal deficit is at
$192.6 billion. There was a surplus of $55 billion in January. The
deficit for fiscal 2016 (October through February) sits at $353 billion.
Compared to the first five months of fiscal 2015, receipts for fiscal
year 2016 are up 5.3%, while outlays are up 1.86%.
- U.S. import prices (for goods bought in the United States but
produced abroad) fell 0.3% in February following a 1.0% drop in January,
according to the latest information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The February decrease was mostly led by declining fuel
prices. The price index for exports of goods made in the United States
and sold abroad decreased 0.4% in February, after falling 0.8% the
previous month. Import prices actually gained 0.1% excluding food and
fuels--the first positive reading since last May. Generally, falling
import prices are a strike against rising inflation. Low oil prices and a
strong dollar continue to keep prices of goods down for U.S. buyers.
- Claims for unemployment insurance and the insured unemployment rate
are down. For the week ended March 5, there were 259,000 initial claims
for unemployment insurance, a decrease of 18,000 from the prior week's
revised level of 277,000--the lowest level since last October. The
advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate dropped to 1.6%
for the week ended February 27. Also for the same week, the advance
number for continuing unemployment insurance claims was 2,225,000, a
decrease of 32,000 from the week ended February 20.
Eye on the Week Ahead
There's plenty of information available this week, including the
outcome of FOMC meeting. Reports on producer prices, retail sales,
industrial production, and the Fed's announcement from its latest
meeting are sure to have some influence on equities.
Data sources: News items are based
on reports from multiple commonly available international news sources
(i.e. wire services) and are independently verified when necessary with
secondary sources such as government agencies, corporate press releases,
or trade organizations. Market data: Based on data reported in WSJ
Market Data Center (indexes); U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); U.S.
Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot
price, WTI Cushing, OK); www.goldprice.org (spot gold/silver); Oanda/FX
Street (currency exchange rates). All information is based on sources
deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy
or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion
expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of
any securities, and should not be relied on as financial advice. Past
performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing involves
risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no
guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a price-weighted index
composed of 30 widely traded blue-chip U.S. common stocks. The 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. The NASDAQ
Composite Index is a market-value weighted index of all common stocks
listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The Russell 2000 is a market-cap
weighted index composed of 2,000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The
Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip
common stocks worldwide. Market indices listed are unmanaged and are not
available for direct investment.
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