Market Week: April 2, 2018

Chart reflects price changes, not total return. Because it does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments.

Last Week’s Economic Headlines

• Gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the third and final estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. GDP increased 3.2% in the third quarter. The deceleration in real GDP growth in the fourth quarter reflected a downturn in private inventory investment that was partly offset by accelerations in personal consumption expenditures, exports, state and local government spending, nonresidential (business) fixed investment, and federal government spending, and an upturn in residential fixed investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased. For the fourth quarter, consumer spending increased 4.0%, nonresidential (commercial/business) investment grew 6.8%, and residential investment expanded at a rate of 12.8%. GDP increased 2.3% in 2017 (that is, from the 2016 annual level to the 2017 annual level), compared with an increase of 1.5% in 2016. Overall, economic growth, as measured by GDP, was solid in 2017. However, heading into 2018, a slowdown in consumer spending may curtail growth in the first quarter.

• Personal (pre-tax) income and disposable (after-tax) personal income increased 0.4%, respectively, in February. Of particular note, wages and salaries increased 0.5% over January. Personal consumption expenditures, which measures how much consumers are spending for goods and services, jumped 0.2% in February, matching January’s increase. Of that total, purchases of durable goods rose by 0.2%, while services climbed 0.3%. The prices paid by consumers for goods and services, as measured by the PCE price index and core PCE price index (excluding food and energy) each increased by 0.2% in February. While consumer prices for goods and services rose a bit in February, consumer spending remained somewhat subdued. Consumer saving, as expected, increased 0.2% to 3.4%.

• The international trade deficit increased by $0.1 billion in February to $75.4 billion. Exports expanded by $2.9 billion (2.2%), while imports increased by $3.0 billion (1.4%).

• Consumers lost a little faith in the economy in March, according to the latest report from The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Index® fell to 127.7 in March after reaching an 18-year high of 130.0 in February. Consumers’ confidence waned in their assessment of present economic conditions as well as short-term economic growth.

• In the week ended March 24, there were 215,000 initial claims for unemployment insurance, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week’s level, which was revised down by 2,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since January 27, 1973, when it was 214,000. The advance insured unemployment rate remained at 1.3% for the week ended March 17. The advance number of those receiving unemployment insurance benefits during the week ended March 17 was 1,871,000, an increase of 35,000 from the prior week’s level, which was revised up by 8,000.

Eye on the Week Ahead

The latest employment report for March is out the end of this week. Job growth has been strong in 2018, although wage inflation has been rather subdued. A strong employment report could provide further assurance of economic strength, propelling investors back to the market.

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.

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