The Week Ahead...What it means to you! - 08/27/11 11:06 AM
Market Focus:
Focus returns to economic data this week. Pending Home Sales and FOMC Minutes are just ahead of the Employment Situation. The last week ended with an anemic 1% GDP growth. This combined with a manufacturing report pointing to a contraction.  Is a double dip next?
Monday:
Pending Home Sales Index: The National Association of Realtors developed the pending home sales index as a leading indicator of housing activity. As such, it is a leading indicator of existing home sales, not new home sales. A pending sale is one in which a contract was signed, but not yet closed.  … (0 comments)

The Week Ahead...What it means to you! - 08/21/11 08:34 AM
Market Focus: While light on scheduled events fears about the U.S. possibly heading into another recession and the financial crisis in Europe are expected to weigh heavily on trading.
Monday:
Chicago Fed. National Activity Index: The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) is a monthly index designed to better gauge overall economic activity and inflationary pressure. The 85 economic indicators that are included in the CFNAI are drawn from four broad categories of data: production and income; employment, unemployment, and hours; personal consumption and housing; and sales, orders, and inventories. Each of these data series measures some aspect of overall macroeconomic … (2 comments)

The Week Ahead...What it means to you! - 08/14/11 12:31 PM
Market Focus:
Volatility is the word for the week. Another wave of economic closely watched economic data and closely watched earnings reports. Watch for industrial production and inflation reports. Don’t forget Europe!
Monday:
Empire State MFG: The New York Fed conducts this monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State. Participants from across the state represent a variety of industries. On the first of each month, the same pool of roughly 175 manufacturing executives (usually the CEO or the president) is sent a questionnaire to report the change in an assortment of indicators from the previous month. Respondents also give … (1 comments)

Figures Lie and Liars Figure - 08/08/11 06:53 AM
I have chosen to write this today because today is the 4th anniversary of my father’s death. I like to refer to it as the day he “escaped”. Sounds better than dying. Death is not your choice but escaping is in your control. Every day that I can remember my father provided a lesson of some sort. Some were small and some were gigantic. While reading recent articles in the “business section” of the newspaper I was reminded by both a small lesson and the biggest lesson he taught. The small one sounds funny but it stuck with me all of these … (3 comments)

The Markets After the Downgrade? - 08/07/11 09:00 PM
At the opening of Futures Trading (6PM ET) markets signaled us with a nasty response to the new lower AA+ rating. S&P futures fell 2.2%. Nasdaq Futures fell 2% while the Dow Futures fell 2.2%. What does this all mean to you and your money? History tells us it may not translate into disaster. Canada lost it’s AAA rating in April of 1993 and over the next year their stock market rose 15%. In November 1998 Japan was downgraded and Tokyo’s stock market climbed 25% in the following 12 months.
History is however only a barometer. The market in 1993 … (0 comments)

The Week Ahead...What it means to you! - 08/07/11 03:32 PM
Market Focus:
Credit Rating downgrade? How will AA effect your stocks, bonds, and borrowing costs?
Monday:
No Reports
Tuesday:
ICSC Goldman Store Sales:  This weekly measure of comparable store sales at major retail chains, published by the International Council of Shopping Centers, is related to the general merchandise portion of retail sales. It accounts for roughly 10 percent of total retail sales. What it means to you: Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy, so if you know what consumers are up to, you'll have a pretty good handle on where the economy is headed.
Redbook: A … (1 comments)

 

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