Tag: earnings results

The Markets

Despite a dizzying 326-point loss for the Dow on Monday after disappointing reports on both U.S. and Chinese manufacturing, domestic equities indices largely managed to rebound on high trading volumes. The S&P 500 finally saw its first positive week following three straight weekly losses. Unfortunately, the small caps of the Russell 2000 didn’t share in the bounce.

Last Week’s Headlines

• The 113,000 new jobs added to the U.S. economy in January barely nudged the unemployment rate down 0.1% to 6.6%. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate rose slightly to 63%, and the number of long-term unemployed fell by 232,000 during the month.
• U.S. manufacturers saw substantially slower growth in January as the Institute for Supply Management’s gauge fell 5.2% from December’s 56.5%. Though the 51.3% reading represents the eighth straight month of expansion, it’s only 1.4% away from actual contraction, and the ISM survey also showed new orders falling a significant 13.2% to 51.2%. Meanwhile, the 50.5% reading on China’s official manufacturing index was more or less in line with an earlier report of contraction there.
• The ISM’s measure of non-manufacturing activity fared better than the manufacturing sector. January’s 1% increase to 54% represented the 48th straight month of expansion, and new orders for the month increased by half a percent.
• Led by the residential market, construction spending was up 0.1% in December. The Commerce Department said the 2.6% gain for the month in private residential construction resulted in the biggest annualized increase since June 2008. Construction of single-family homes was even better, rising 3.4% for the month and 21.6% from the previous December. By contrast, commercial and government construction were both down.
• A 9.7% drop in transportation-related orders accounted for a large portion of the 1.5% decline in factory orders for U.S. manufacturers in December, according to the Commerce Department. However, the $2.3 trillion worth of U.S. exports in 2013 set a new record for the fourth straight year.
• Labor productivity rose at an annualized rate of 3.2% during Q4 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as output rose 4.9% and the number of hours worked was up 1.7%.
• Bill Gates stepped down as Microsoft’s chairman to take a more active role as a technology advisor to the company, while longtime executive Satya Nadella will become the company’s third CEO.
• Both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s cut Puerto Rico’s bond rating to junk status, citing concerns about the U.S. territory’s ability to tap capital markets. S&P also reaffirmed Turkey’s BB+ rating but cut its outlook to negative, indicating the likelihood of further downgrades.
• The Congressional Budget Office forecast that the U.S. budget deficit is on track to fall to 3% of gross domestic product this year–close to the average for the last 40 years–and to 2.6% of GDP in 2015. However, after that, it will start rising again because of the aging population, federal subsidies for health insurance, rising health-care costs, and higher interest on federal debt. The 3% projected increase in GDP through Q4 2014 would be the largest rise in almost a decade, though the CBO continued to warn about the size of the federal debt (74% of GDP by the end of 2014). The CBO report also forecast that unemployment will remain above 6% until late 2016. Labor force participation could fall by the equivalent of 2 million jobs in 2017 as a result of the Affordable Care Act, “almost entirely [because of] a net decline in the amount of labor that workers choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’ demand for labor.” However, the report said that figure will depend on how many people obtain subsidized health insurance through exchanges.
• The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate at 0.25% for the third straight month despite concerns that without increased monetary stimulus, inflation that has been below 1% in the region for several months could turn into deflation.

Eye on the Week Ahead

Investors will have to determine whether the retail sales to be reported on Thursday were affected by January’s severe weather across much of the country. New Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s testimony before Congress also will be watched.

The Markets

It’s a small, small world: Despite various attempts at propping up local currencies, emerging markets continued to suffer from concerns that 1) assets being moved to stronger currencies could undermine already fragile economies, and 2) a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing could reduce demand for commodities, exports of which are crucial to many emerging-market countries. Fueled by additional Fed tapering, risk aversion also spread to markets in developed countries, hurting large caps that derive a large portion of their revenues overseas. The Dow’s losses gave the index its worst January since 2009. Traditional safe-haven refuges such as U.S. Treasuries continued to benefit from the turmoil.

Last Week’s Headlines

For the second month in a row, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee will cut $10 billion a month from its bond purchases. That will leave the total at $65 billion a month instead of the $85 billion it had been buying as recently as December.

• Some emerging-market countries whose currencies have been hurt in recent months attempted to fight back. Turkey hiked its key interest rate from 7.5% to 12% to try to halt a decline in the country’s lira, while South Africa’s central bank raised its interest rate to 5.5% and India’s repo rate went to 8% from 7.75%. The moves came in the wake of Brazil’s decision to raise its key interest rate by a half-point to 10.5% and Venezuela’s recent attempt to impose currency controls indirectly by limiting the amount of airline tickets that can be exchanged for U.S. dollars.
• The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.2% during the fourth quarter of 2013. Though that was somewhat less than Q3’s annualized 4.1% growth, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said the 3.7% growth during 2013’s second half was stronger than the 1.8% expansion during the first six months. The growth was led by consumer spending, exports, and business spending on capital goods.
• Sales of new homes dropped 7% in December. However, the Department of Commerce said the figure is still 4.5% ahead of the previous December, and sales for all of 2013 were 16.4% higher than in 2012. Meanwhile, home prices in the cities covered by the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index were up 13.7% year-over-year in November. Though the 0.1% drop was the first monthly decline in nine months, it represented the best November since 2005.
• Durable goods orders fell 4.3% in December, according to the Commerce Department; that’s the second decline in the last three months. Aside from the volatile transportation sector, new orders for U.S. manufactured goods fell 1.6%, and business spending on equipment was down 5% for the month.
• The Bureau of Economic Analysis said personal incomes were basically flat in December, though after adjusting for inflation, they were down 0.2% for the month. Meanwhile, holiday spending helped push consumer spending up 0.4%, cutting the personal savings rate to 3.9% from November’s 4.3%. 

Eye on the Week Ahead

In addition to the ongoing focus on emerging markets and earnings reports, Friday’s unemployment numbers will be of interest. And in light of currency concerns around the world, the European Central Bank’s announcement on Thursday could receive extra attention.

The Markets

Increased confidence in a strengthening U.S. economy helped decrease investor confidence in several emerging-market countries, and financial markets around the world felt the strain in January. Investors worried that as the Fed cuts its bond purchases and eventually begins to move away from rock-bottom interest rates, money would be lured away from emerging markets, especially those already facing financial or political instability. That wasn’t the only threat that roiled markets overseas. As several countries attempted to manipulate their currencies to try to attract buyers or fight inflation, a disappointing report on China’s manufacturing sector did little to allay investor concern.

Developed markets weren’t immune to the contagion. Large caps, many of which earn a substantial percentage of their revenues overseas, were hurt the most. After hitting an all-time record on December 31, the Dow had its worst January since 2009, while the S&P 500 went from an all-time high on January 15 to a loss for the month in just two weeks. The Nasdaq, which led the pack in 2013, lost the least, followed by the small caps of the Russell 2000. Not surprising given the rout in emerging markets, the Global Dow also suffered. And as frequently happens during periods of global instability, investors turned to such traditional safe havens as U.S. Treasuries; the yield on the benchmark 10-year note fell as demand pushed prices up.

The Month in Review

• The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.2% during the fourth quarter of 2013. Though that was somewhat less than Q3’s annualized 4.1% growth, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said the 3.7% growth during 2013’s second half was stronger than the 1.8% expansion during the first six months. The growth was led by consumer spending, exports, and business spending on capital goods.
• Only 74,000 new jobs were added to U.S. payrolls in December; it was the lowest number since January 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the unemployment rate fell from 7% to 6.7%–its lowest level since October 2008–largely because of people dropping out of the workforce.
• A Markit/HSBC survey of purchasing managers that indicated contraction in China’s manufacturing sector–a key customer for the commodity exports on which many emerging economies rely–helped aggravate concerns about several foreign currencies. Argentina devalued the country’s peso in an attempt to jump-start exports, while Venezuela indirectly imposed currency controls by attempting to curb a black market trade in airline tickets. Meanwhile, after South Africa’s rand dropped and Turkey’s currency hit a record low, central banks in both countries raised their key interest rates to try to keep investors from moving their money elsewhere. Those actions followed the decision of India’s central bank to raise its benchmark rate from 7.75% to 8% after a year-long decline in the rupee, and Brazil’s increase in its key rate to 10.5%.
• As Ben Bernanke turned over the Federal Reserve chairmanship to Janet Yellen, the Fed began reducing the bond purchases that have helped support the economy for the last several years. The $85 billion of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities being bought each month fell to $75 billion in January, and will go to $65 billion in February.
• Housing starts fell 10% in December, and sales of new homes were down 7% for the month. However, the Department of Commerce said the new-home sales figure is still 4.5% ahead of the previous December, and sales for all of 2013 were 16.4% higher than in 2012. Home resales were better, with a 1% rebound in December after 3 straight months of declines, and the National Association of Realtors® said 2013 resales were the highest since 2006. Meanwhile, even though home prices in the cities covered by the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index fell 0.1% in November, it was still the best November since 2005, and prices were up 13.7% year-over-year.
• Inflation remained well within the Fed’s comfort level. A 0.3% increase in consumer prices and a 0.4% rise in wholesale prices in December left the annual inflation rates for 2013 at 1.5% and 1.2% respectively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said slower auto sales didn’t prevent overall retail sales from rising 0.2% in December, because non-auto retail spending rose 0.7%.
• Record exports helped cut the U.S. trade deficit to $34.3 billion in November, its lowest level since September 2009, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. After a surge in November, orders placed with U.S. factories fell 4.3% in December–the second decline in the last three months. Also, the Fed’s measure of industrial production saw its fifth straight month of gains; the 0.3% monthly gain put it 3.7% ahead of the previous December.

Eye on the Month Ahead

January’s turmoil left many wondering whether it represented the start of a long-overdue correction in the nearly five-year post-2008 bull market in equities or a long-overdue pause that could fuel a push to fresh heights. February could help answer that question. The Fed won’t meet again until March, so markets will get a chance to digest the current round of tightening and emerging markets’ ongoing attempts to cope with its implications for their futures.

What I’m Watching This Week – 27 Jan 2014

The Markets

The Markets

Domestic indices were mixed last week. The NASDAQ and Russell 2000 ended with slight gains, the Dow was basically flat, and the S&P 500 wound up with a slight loss after briefly returning to the level at which it started the year. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield also saw a little dip.

Last Week’s Headlines

• Slower auto sales didn’t prevent overall retail sales from rising 0.2% in December, according to the Commerce Department. Excluding the 1.8% decline in auto sales, retail sales were up 0.7%.
• Driven by increases in the cost of housing and energy, consumer prices rose 0.3% in December, putting the inflation rate for the last 12 months at 1.5%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said wholesale inflation also was up in December; the 0.4% monthly increase put the annual rate at 1.2%. However, both remain well below the level that would raise concerns at the Federal Reserve Board.
• There was good news about manufacturing from the Federal Reserve. The Empire State index showed accelerating growth and hit its highest reading in more than a year (12.5), while the Philly Fed index went from 6.4 to 9.4 and has now shown growth for eight straight months. The Fed’s measure of industrial production also was positive. December’s 0.3% increase–the fifth straight month of gains–put industrial production 3.7% ahead of the previous December and 0.9% higher than its pre-recession high of December 2007.
• Housing starts froze in December, according to the Commerce Department. However, the nearly 10% decline for the month still left them 1.6% ahead of December 2012, and the 923,400 housing starts for all of 2013 represented the highest annual total since 2007. Building permits–an indicator of future activity–also fell by 3% during the month but were 4.6% higher than a year earlier.
• A federal appeals court voted to give providers of broadband internet services greater ability to charge content providers higher rates for faster service to their customers. The ruling overturned the FCC’s so-called “net neutrality” regulations, but left open the possibility that the FCC could regulate service in other ways–for example, by classifying broadband as a telecommunications service, which would put it in the same category as telephones.
• The Federal Reserve’s “beige book” reported continued moderate economic expansion in most districts.

Eye on the Week Ahead

With little fresh economic data available, investors may concentrate on the ongoing stream of earnings reports. The World Economic Forum at Davos also could produce some headlines.

Have an amazing week!

The Markets

Believers in the so-called January indicator–the concept that the first five trading days suggest the stock market’s overall direction for the rest of the year–were likely discouraged last week. The S&P gave up roughly half a percentage point during 2014’s first five trading days. The other three domestic indices also slipped during those five days, with losses ranging from the Nasdaq’s quarter of a percentage point to the Dow’s nearly seven-tenths of a percent. A rebound at week’s end gave three of the four domestic indices a gain for the week. However, the small-cap Russell 2000 was the only one to see a slight gain for both the week and the year so far. Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury fell as the new year saw a new interest in bonds.

Last Week’s Headlines

Only 74,000 new jobs were added to U.S. payrolls in December; that’s the lowest number since January 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the unemployment rate fell from 7% to 6.7%, largely because of people dropping out of the workforce.

Minutes of the meeting at which the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee decided to begin scaling back its bond purchases emphasized once again that tapering will be done gradually and will depend on economic data. Members also forecast stronger economic growth in coming years and a gradually declining unemployment rate.

The Senate made it official that Janet Yellen will oversee the Fed’s tapering efforts. Members confirmed her appointment as the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve Board. She will take over when Ben Bernanke steps down January 31.

Record exports helped cut the U.S. trade deficit to $34.3 billion in November. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, that was the lowest level since September 2009.

Orders placed with U.S. factories in November surged 1.8% for the month, putting them at their highest level since the Commerce Department began tracking the figures in 1992. Inventories, which have risen 11 of the last 12 months, were partly responsible, but new orders for durable goods, particularly transportation equipment, also have risen 3 of the last 4 months and were up 3.4% in November.

Growth in U.S. service industries slowed slightly in December as the Institute for Supply Management’s gauge fell almost 1% to 53% during the month. The ISM survey also showed new orders falling to 49.4% in December, which represents actual contraction.

Eye on the Week Ahead

The Q4 2013 earnings season will get into high gear as several major financial and tech companies release reports. Data on retail sales for the holiday season will shed light on the state of consumers’ wallets.

Have a wonderfully profitable week!

What I’m Watching This Week

Here we are, 2014, and hopefully your portfolio had a profitable 2013.  If not, we may need to have a chat.  =)

The Dow was up 25%, the S&P 500 up 29% and the NASDAQ up 37% to end 2013.  Your individual performance more than likely probably doesn’t reflect the substantial gains as the overall indices but hopefully you were able to capture a significant percentage to close out the year, hopefully.

Equities rang in the new year by taking a bit of a breather. As investors decided to take some of the profits that the Santa Claus rally had left in their stockings, the Dow lost 135 points on 2014’s first trading day, though it regained much of that the following day. The other three domestic indices fared slightly worse, though not as badly as the Global Dow. Meanwhile, gold showed signs of new life after its disastrous 2013, jumping nearly 3% in the first two days of the year.

Last Week’s Headlines

Home prices rose 0.2% in October, putting them 13.6% higher than 12 months earlier. The year-over-year gain in the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index was the strongest since February 2006, and October’s monthly increase represents the 17th straight month of gains. However, S&P warned that the monthly increases were showing signs of slowing.

Construction spending was up 1% in November, according to the Commerce Department, and was almost 6% higher than the previous November. Strength in both residential and non-residential private construction fueled the growth as spending on public works projects fell 1.8% during the month.

Eye on the Week Ahead

Last week’s light trading volumes should be back to normal this week, and those who believe that the first five trading days of January indicate something about equities’ subsequent direction during the coming year will have a better basis for making that assessment. Friday’s jobs numbers will be of interest, as always, as will the minutes of the meeting at which the Fed’s monetary policy committee decided to start tapering.

Have an amazing 2014, stay focused, aware and able to participate in achieving your individual goals for the year!

The Markets
Domestic equities continued to recover from their Washington-induced slump. Once again, the week saw fresh records for the S&P 500 and the small-cap Russell 2000; the S&P has now risen more than 6% since its October 8 shutdown low. The Dow saw the week’s biggest gains for a change.

Last Week’s Headlines

• The unemployment rate continued to inch downward, hitting 7.2% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the lowest unemployment rate since November 2008. However, the 148,000 jobs added during the month was lower than the monthly average for the past year, and including underemployed and discouraged workers would put the unemployment rate at 13.6%, slightly lower than August’s 13.7%.
• Sales of existing homes slid almost 2% in September, the National Association of Realtors® said, but were still 10.7% above September 2012. The NAR attributed the slump to the fact that according to mortgage lender Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed rate hit almost 4.5%, its highest level since July 2011 and more than a full percent higher than in September 2012. The median sales price of $199,200 represented the 10th straight double-digit year-over-year increase.
• Durable goods orders were up 3.7% in September, but according to the Commerce Department, a 57.5% increase in orders for aircraft was responsible for almost all of that. Non-transportation orders were down 0.1%, though business spending on capital equipment rose almost 7%.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. reportedly has negotiated a $13 billion settlement of federal civil lawsuits over mortgage securities sales leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Earlier in the month, JPMorgan had reported a loss for Q3 caused largely by increasing to $23 billion the reserve it has set aside to cover legal expenses. Also, a jury found Bank of America Corp. liable for defrauding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through bad mortgages sold by Countrywide Financial, which BofA acquired in mid-2008. A judge will decide the bank’s penalty later.

Eye on the Week Ahead
Investors will find out Wednesday whether the impact of the government shutdown was enough to postpone any Fed tapering. Earnings season also continues, while release of the initial estimate of Q3 economic growth has been postponed until November 7.

Key dates and data releases: home prices, retail sales (10/29); Federal Open Market Committee monetary policy announcement (10/30).

Data sources: All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. 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: U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); WSJ Market Data Center (equities); Federal Reserve Board (Fed Funds target rate); U.S. Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot price, WTI Cushing, OK); http://www.goldprice.org (spot gold, NY close); Oanda/FX Street (currency exchange rates). 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.

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 2000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip common stocks worldwide. Market indexes listed are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.

MARKET WEEK: OCTOBER 21, 2013

The Markets

Near-debt experience: The ceasefire in Washington that put federal employees back to work and averted a debt ceiling disaster also brought relief on Wall Street. One-month Treasury yields had skyrocketed in October as investors abandoned them; that sell-off reversed after a deal was announced, cutting the yield in half overnight and to one basis point by week’s end. Long-term debt saw less impact, but equities rallied strongly. The S&P 500 built on a 1.4% gain on the day of the announcement by hitting a new all-time closing record on Friday. The small caps of the Russell 2000 also set a fresh record, and along with the Nasdaq gained roughly 3% over the three post-announcement closes. However, the Dow was hampered by disappointing earnings reports from a couple of its key components.

Last Week’s Headlines

After 16 days of partial government shutdown and debt ceiling gridlock, a last-minute agreement broke the impasse the day before the Treasury was scheduled to begin running out of cash to pay the nation’s bills. The legislation suspends the debt ceiling until February 7 and provides funding to reopen the government through January 15. The deal to end the stalemate also established a congressional budget conference that must report by December 13 on ways to address longer-term budget issues.
Growth in the world’s second-largest economy accelerated in the third quarter, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. The 2.2% increase from Q2 on an annualized basis would represent a 9.1% annual growth rate, higher than the actual 7.8% increase seen over the past year. The increase was attributed to the effects of massive lending in the first two quarters as well as government spending on urban infrastructure in an attempt to counteract a slowdown earlier in the year.
Manufacturing reports from the Federal Reserve’s Philadelphia and Empire State regions were mixed. The Philly Fed index edged down to 19.8 in October from September’s 22.3, and the Empire State’s outlook on general business conditions fell 5 points to 1.5. However, new orders were up in both regions.
The Federal Reserve’s beige book report, based on data collected before October 7, showed “modest to moderate” expansion. Businesses were said to be cautiously optimistic about future activity, but the report registered an increase in uncertainty because of the government shutdown and debt ceiling debate. Several of the Fed’s 12 districts noted caution about expanding payrolls because of uncertainty about implementation of the Affordable Care Act and fiscal policy in general, but demand for skilled labor remained high in many districts.
The lack of government data meant that the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators and the Federal Reserve’s industrial production numbers for October were not available.
Eye on the Week Ahead

With the debt debacle temporarily resolved, investors are free to turn their attention to an onslaught of earnings reports and begin speculating about whether the shutdown’s economic impact, estimated by Standard & Poor’s at $24 billion, will delay any Fed tapering. October’s delayed unemployment report for September is now scheduled for release on Tuesday; concerns about the anticipated impact of the shutdown could amplify any disappointment with September’s numbers.

Key dates and data releases: home resales (10/21); unemployment/payrolls (10/22); new home sales (10/24); durable goods orders (10/25).*

Data sources: All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. 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: U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields); WSJ Market Data Center (equities); Federal Reserve Board (Fed Funds target rate); U.S. Energy Information Administration/Bloomberg.com Market Data (oil spot price, WTI Cushing, OK); http://www.goldprice.org (spot gold, NY close); Oanda/FX Street (currency exchange rates). 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.

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 2000 U.S. small-cap common stocks. The Global Dow is an equally weighted index of 150 widely traded blue-chip common stocks worldwide. Market indexes listed are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.

*Some data releases postponed by the government shutdown are being rescheduled and may not be available.

Moving forward!

Vacation time is over…time for me to get back to work and rejoin the masses. So let’s get to it!

The technical glitch that brought the NASDAQ to a standstill for more than three hours hasn’t appeared to cause any damage; in fact the NASDAQ actually posted strong gains for the week of 1.53%. The S&P 500 and the Russell 200 also registered positive numbers but the Dow Jones provided a down week, the third in a row. It did edge back above 15,000 however. 10 Year Treasuries yields continued to rise right up until Friday, when the disappointing news of the 13.4% tumble in July new housing sales showed up and ruined that party.

This week I wouldn’t be surprised to see that the US markets, dabble a little in caution, with a slight negative basis. Economic postings aren’t expected to be stellar. I’m holding out hope that Tuesdays Q2 GDP is revised to show 2.1% growth from the earlier estimated 1.7%, which would reflect a narrowing of the US trade deficit as well as manufacturing gains.

Members of the Federal Open Market Committee seem as hesitant as everyone else about how soon quantitative easing will begin to wind down. Minutes of the FOMC’s July meeting showed that some members favor starting to cut bond purchases as early as September while others advocate a delay until later in the year. However, they generally articulated support for the overall tentative timetable laid out in June, which suggested purchases might end entirely by mid-2014.

It’s nice to be back and I wish you all an amazing week!