The Markets

Investors brushed off geopolitical fears last week and regained their appetite for risk, taking the S&P 500 to its 32nd record high of the year and returning the small-cap Russell 2000 to positive territory for 2014. Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury hit a level it hasn’t seen in more than a year as higher demand pushed prices up.

Market/Index	2013 Close	Prior Week	As of 8/29	Weekly Change	YTD Change
DJIA	16576.66	17001.22	17098.45	.57%	3.15%
Nasdaq	4176.59	4538.55	4580.27	.92%	9.67%
S&P 500	1848.36	1988.40	2003.37	.75%	8.39%
Russell 2000	1163.64	1160.34	1174.35	1.21%	.92%
Global Dow	2484.10	2606.33	2618.91	.48%	5.43%
Fed. Funds	.25%	.25%	.25%	0 bps	0 bps
10-year Treasuries	3.04%	2.40%	2.35%	-5 bps	-69 bps

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 Headlines

• The U.S. economy grew slightly faster during the second quarter than previously thought. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said the 4.2% figure for gross domestic product was revised upward from 4% primarily because of a higher figure for commercial construction and business investment in equipment. Meanwhile, corporate after-tax profits rebounded from a -16.3% decline in Q1, rising 8.3% during Q2.
• A 318% increase in orders for commercial aircraft led to a 22.6% surge in durable goods orders in July. The Commerce Department said that excluding transportation, orders actually fell 0.8%, while business investment in equipment was down 0.5% after a strong gain the previous month.
• Sales of new homes fell 2.4% in July, according to a Commerce Department report. That raised questions about the state of the housing market, especially since the National Association of Realtors^® had reported the previous week that home resales had actually risen 2.4% during the month.
• Meanwhile, home prices showed continued signs of leveling off in cities measured by the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index. Though the index gained 1% in June and was up 8.1% year-over-year, all 20 cities experienced slower annual growth rates for the first time since February 2008. An S&P spokesman predicted that mortgage rate increases, anticipated next year, “will further dampen price gains.”
• Americans spent less and saved more in July as income growth slowed. The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending was down 0.1%, in part because of reduced auto and department store sales, while incomes rose 0.2% rather than the 0.5% seen during the previous two months. As a result, the savings rate hit 5.7%–its highest level since late 2012.
• Burger King became the latest company to draw fire for so-called “tax inversion” by announcing it is negotiating to buy Canadian chain Tim Hortons. The agreement would allow Burger King to move its headquarters to Canada and reduce its corporate tax burden.
• The inflation rate in the eurozone continued to slide, hitting 0.3% in August. The decline, coupled with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s stated willingness to consider additional economic stimulus, prompted speculation that the ECB could take action at its next meeting on September 4. The eurozone unemployment rate was 11.5%, down only slightly from a year earlier.

Eye on the Week Ahead

In addition to monitoring an onslaught of economic data, global investors will look to the European Central Bank’s Thursday meeting for possible stimulus measures similar to the ones the Federal Reserve has been winding down.