2013 In Review: A Year to Remember

The U.S. stock market punctuated an extraordinary year with gains on the last trading day, moving many of the American indexes to record highs on the final trading day for only the sixth time in history.  Despite all the uncertainties that we faced (the government shutdown, Boston bombings, the ongoing Syrian uprisings, debt ceiling debates, NSA revelations, the lingering economic aftershocks of superstorm Sandy, nuclear standoff with Iran) people will look back at 2013 as one of the most profitable years for investors on record.

 

The Wilshire 5000 index--the broadest measure of U.S. stocks and bonds--rose 33.07% in calendar 2013, with 10.11% of the gains coming in the final three months of the year.  The comparable Russell 3000 index gained 33.55% in 2013, posting 10.10% returns in the final quarter.

 

Large cap stocks, represented by the Wilshire U.S. Large Cap index, gained 32.33% this past year, with 10.22% gains in the fourth quarter.  The Russell 1000 large-cap index returned 33.11% for the year, up 10.23% for the last quarter, while the widely-quoted S&P 500 index of large company stocks gained 29.60% in 2013, with 9.92% returns in the year's final quarter.

The Wilshire U.S. Mid-Cap index index rose 36.78% in 2013, buoyed by an 8.69% rise in the final quarter.  The Russell midcap index was up 34.76% for the year, with 8.39% gains in the final three months of the year.

 

Small company stocks, as measured by the Wilshire U.S. Small-Cap, gained a remarkable 39.01% for the year; 9.10% of the returns came in the final quarter.  The comparable Russell 2000 small-cap index rose 38.82% in 2013, posting an 8.72% gain in the year's final three months.  The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 38.32% for the year, after posting 10.74% gains in the last quarter of the year.

 

By any measure, these returns were remarkable.  The S&P gains were the highest since 1997, and the 3rd highest since 1970.  The small cap returns are the 3rd highest since 1980, and the Nasdaq returns were the seventh-highest ever.  What makes the year even more remarkable was that nobody was predicting a rampaging bull in 2013, and many economists and pundits didn't think returns like these would be possible.

 

If anything, the five-year gains since the market downturn have been even more extraordinary.  The Wilshire 5000 has posted an average 18.58% gains over the last 60 months, and the midcap (23.08%) and small cap (23.86%) indices have fared even better.  Investors who got out of stocks during the market crisis of 2008 and worried ever since have missed out on one of the best 5-year bull market runs in American history.

 

IS this a bull market?  Commentators, investment strategists and economists don't agree on whether we are experiencing a temporary rise in the midst of a long-term bear market, like we experienced during the Great Depression, or the strong early stirrings of a long-term bull like the one which started in 1982.  The truth is, nobody knows, just as nobody knew that the U.S. stock markets would reel off such strong returns after the near-collapse of the global economic system.

 

Long-term investors can be compared to farmers, who plant seeds with no foreknowledge of the weather during their growing season, and no belief that what happened this year has any impact on what will happen in the next one.  There will be bad years, and good years, but over time, the good years have tended to outnumber bad ones, which is why it makes economic sense to continue planting the seeds each Spring--or staying invested in the stock market when each coming year is a mystery. 

 

Around the world, the harvest was mostly excellent in 2013, even though returns lagged the booming U.S. market.  The broad-based EAFE index of developed economies rose 19.43% in dollar terms in 2013, aided by a strong 5.36% return in the final quarter.  European stocks were up 21.68%, giving them a strong year despite the constant threats of sovereign debt default and internal trade imbalances. 

 

Emerging market stocks were a very different story.  In 2013, the EAFE Emerging Markets index of stocks in Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, India and Russia was down 4.98% for the year, despite a 1.54% rise in the year's final quarter. 

 

Other investment categories also lagged their long-term averages.  Real estate, as measured by the Wilshire REIT index, gained just 1.86% for the year, after a modest 0.83% drop in the last three months of 2013.  Commodities, as measured by the S&P GSCI index, experienced a price drop of 1.22% in 2013.  Gold investors, meanwhile, experienced the precious metal's worst annual loss in 32 years, dropping 28% in value over the past 12 months. 

 

Bond yields remain low by historical standards, but a rise in rates caused bond holders to experience paper losses.  Investors in the Barclay's Global Aggregate bond index lost 2.60% in 2013, and 2.02% in the U.S. Aggregate index.  Investment grade corporate bonds are currently yielding an aggregate 3.87%.

 

In the Treasury markets, 10-year bonds now yield 3.03%; 5-year bonds are yielding 1.74%.    

 

What's next?  Who knows?  Long-term, stocks tend to reflect the overall growth of the economy.  One possible reason why so many investors remain nervous about stocks is the persistent--and erroneous--belief that the U.S. economy is still mired in a recession.  You hear words like "sluggish" in the press, but in fact, the total output of the American economy has grown steadily since the 2008 meltdown, and the pace of growth seems to be accelerating.  The Bureau of Economic Analysis statistics show an annualized increase of 4.1% in the third quarter of last year (the most recent period for which we have statistics), following a 2.5% rise in the second quarter.

 

Other economic signs are also encouraging.  Total corporate profits rose $39.2 billion in the third quarter, following an increase of $66.8 billion in the second.  Individuals and corporations are carrying less debt than in the past; total public and private debt in the first quarter of 2010 was up above 3.5 times U.S. GDP; today it stands at 1.07 times GDP.  U.S. home prices recently posted their largest one-month rise in more than seven years, and some markets have seen housing values reach their pre-recession levels. 

 

Even so, many investors will continue to wait on the sidelines, looking for "proof" that the market recovery is finally for real, while others will keep their money from working on their behalf in expectation of a crash.  The former will finally get back in when prices have peaked, and will, in fact, be our most reliable indicator that the market has become overvalued.  The latter will miss the next downturn, but also lose out on the positive returns that have, historically, outweighed the losses suffered in bear markets.  The past five years have given us a useful lesson: that you plant your seeds in the expectation that there will be bad crops from time to time, but these unexpected booming years will more than make up for the losses.

 

 

To Your Prosperity,

 

Kevin Kroskey, CFP®, MBA

This article adapted with permission from Bob Veres.

Sources:

Wilshire index data: http://www.wilshire.com/Indexes/calculator/

Russell index data: http://www.russell.com/indexes/data/daily_total_returns_us.asp

S&P index data: http://www.standardandpoors.com/indices/sp-500/en/us/?indexId=spusa-500-usduf--p-us-l--

Nasdaq index data: http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Index/IndexCharts.aspx?Symbol=COMP

International indices: http://www.mscibarra.com/products/indices/international_equity_indices/performance.html

Commodities index data: http://us.spindices.com/index-family/commodities/sp-gsci

Gold: http://zeenews.india.com/business/bullion/bullion-news/gold-price-logs-worst-annual-loss-in-32-years_91734.html

Treasury market rates: http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/government-bonds/us/

Aggregate corporate bond rates: http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/corporate-bonds/

GDP growth and corporate profits: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm

Debt to GDP ratios: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

Housing prices: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2013/12/31/u-s-home-prices-see-biggest-jump-in-seven-years/

 

November Monthly Market Commentary

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

Will 2013 go in the books as the best year for U.S. stocks since the mid-1990s? It may. At the end of November, the S&P 500 was already up 29.12% YTD. November brought more signals of an improving economy, even with a hot housing market cooling off by degrees. The eurozone economy still looked tenuous; China’s economy showed signs of resilience. Prices of gold, oil and other key commodities dropped. Some foreign stock markets outperformed ours, others lost ground. The Federal Reserve made no moves, but its October policy minutes hinted at trimming its monthly bond buying.¹

While the S&P 500 is up as much as it is, a diversified 60/40 stock/bond portfolio was up a more modest but still very rewarding 11.42%. Additional index performance shown below.

DOMESTIC ECONOMIC HEALTH

Early in the month, the Labor Department stated that 204,000 new jobs were created in October, better than the average monthly gain of 190,000 seen during the past year. The jobless rate did tick up to 7.3%; at least that was 2.9% lower than the recessionary peak seen in October 2009. Manufacturing and service sectors appeared healthy judging by the Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing manager indices. ISM’s factory sector gauge reached 56.4 in October (and 57.3 in November, marking a sixth straight monthly advance). Its service-sector PMI rose a full point in October to 55.4.^2,3,4

November also brought the federal government’s first estimate of Q3 GDP – a surprisingly good 2.8%. (Analysts polled by MarketWatch had expected a 2.3% reading.) As for the prime factor in GDP, a delayed Commerce Department report on consumer spending noted only a 0.2% gain in September, even as personal incomes increased 0.5%. Retail sales rose a healthy 0.4% in October, however.^5,6,7

Respected consumer confidence polls reached different conclusions last month. The Conference Board’s index fell two whole points to 70.4, far underneath the 74.0 reading forecast by Briefing.com. The University of Michigan’s final consumer sentiment index for the month offered better news, rising to 75.1.⁸

Annualized inflation was amazingly tame – just 1.0% as of October, thanks to a 0.1% decline in the Consumer Price Index. As for wholesale prices, October’s Producer Price Index showed a 0.2% retreat, and that meant just a 0.3% gain over the past 12 months – the weakest annual wholesale inflation since 2009. Durable goods orders slipped 2.0% in October.^7,8,9

As for the Fed, Janet Yellen reassured Wall Street at mid-month with dovish comments at her Senate confirmation hearing, noting that “supporting the recovery today is the surest path to returning to a more normal approach to monetary policy.” Days later, however, the October Fed policy minutes noted that if indicators affirmed the FOMC’s “outlook for ongoing improvement” in the labor market, it would “warrant trimming the pace of [bond] purchases in coming months.”^10,11

Lastly, the White House dealt with the backlash over the launch of HealthCare.gov. Less than 27,000 people had enrolled in the federal online insurance exchange in October due to glitches. A November repair effort left the site running much more smoothly at the start of December; CNN estimates that at the end of last month, total enrollment at HealthCare.gov and the 14 state-run exchanges surpassed 200,000, up from 106,000 at the end of October. Individuals have until December 23 to shop for health coverage effective on January 1.¹

GLOBAL ECONOMIC HEALTH

The EU jobless rate descended 0.1% in October to 12.1%. That was the good news. Annualized eurozone inflation hit 0.9% last month, rising from 0.7% for October (a 4-year low); retail sales slipped 0.8% in Germany in October following a 0.2% retreat for September. As for eurozone manufacturing, Markit’s PMI for the region reached 51.3 in October and a 2-year peak of 51.6 in November. Great Britain’s factory PMI hit 58.4 in November, the highest reading since February 2011. Not all was well: manufacturing PMIs showed contraction in Spain (48.6) and France (48.4).^13,14

Indian manufacturing expanded for the first month since July in November, with HSBC’s PMI reaching 51.3. China’s official PMI was flat last month at 51.4 while HSBC’s PMI declined 0.1 points to 50.8. HSBC PMI readings for South Korea (50.4), Taiwan (53.4) and Vietnam (50.3) all showed growth in November. Japan’s official data stream showed yearly consumer inflation at just 0.6% and just an 0.9% annualized rise in consumer spending.^13,15

WORLD MARKETS

Performances were quite varied last month. Notable gains: DAX, 4.11%; Nikkei 225, 9.31%; Shanghai Composite, 3.68%; Hang Seng, 2.91%; IPC All-Share, 3.56%; MERVAL, 10.72%; TSX Composite, 0.26%; Global Dow, 1.65%; Europe Dow, 0.73%; DJ STOXX 600, 0.87%; MSCI World Index, 1.59%. These benchmarks racked up November losses: MSCI Emerging Markets Index, 1.56%; Asia Dow, 0.21%; Sensex, 1.76%; ASX, 1.94%; PSE Composite, 5.72%; Jakarta Composite, 5.64%; TAIEX, 0.51%; Bovespa, 3.27%; FTSE 100, 1.20%; CAC 40, 0.11%; RTSI, 5.23%.^1,16

COMMODITIES MARKETS

Oil ended November at $92.72 as prices fell 3.57% on the month. Other energy futures posted monthly gains: heating oil, 2.70%; unleaded gasoline, 1.59%; natural gas, 10.69%. Gold sunk 5.46%, silver dropped 9.21%, platinum retreated 5.39% and copper lost 1.94%. COMEX gold settled at a mere $1,250.60 on November 29. As for crops, coffee rose 4.04%, cocoa 4.76%, cotton 2.81% and soybeans 4.39%; sugar lost 5.77% in November, corn 2.92% and wheat 1.80%. The U.S. Dollar Index ended November at 80.68 for a 0.60% monthly gain.^17,18

REAL ESTATE

The National Association of Realtors announced that October had seen a 3.2% retreat in the pace of existing home sales – and a 0.6% slip in pending home sales. Countering the news of these declines, September’s S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index had house prices up 3.2% in Q3 and up 13.3% YTD. October also saw a 6.2% rise in building permits; the annualized gain was 13.9%. (As a consequence of the federal shutdown, new home sales figures for September and October won’t be announced by the Census Bureau until December 4, and the reports on September and October housing starts won’t arrive until December 18.)^7,19,20

Between Halloween and November 27, Freddie Mac charted the following mortgage rate movements: 30-year FRMs, 4.10% to 4.29%; 15-year FRMs, 3.20% to 3.30%; 5/1-year ARMs, 2.96% to 2.94%; 1-year ARMs, 2.64% to 2.60%.²¹

LOOKING BACK…LOOKING FORWARD

Record closes seemed commonplace last month as the major U.S. indices pushed toward these November 29 finishes: DJIA, 16,086.41; NASDAQ, 4,059.89; S&P 500, 1,805.81. The Russell 2000 gained 3.88% last month to end November at 1,142.89; the CBOE VIX declined 0.36% on the month to settle at 13.70 on November 29.¹

The S&P 500 has advanced in each of the past five Decembers, and with the bulls seemingly entrenched on Wall Street, there is little reason to think it might not add to its YTD gain this month. In recent years, December has also been a terrific month for the small caps: across 2008-12, the Russell 2000’s average December gain was 5.01%. Then again, Wall Street is a volatile place – and recent FOMC minutes do raise the possibility of the central bank tapering in December and taking some of the air out of any Santa Claus rally. It could be that stocks advance nicely prior to the December 18 Fed policy announcement and limp through the rest of the month. If the latest bicameral budget reduction committee can’t agree on a plan by the middle of December, investors will have more to fret about. Confidence is still prevalent on Wall Street, however, and the year may end nicely indeed for equities.²⁴

UPCOMING ECONOMIC RELEASES: The data stream for the remainder of 2013 is as follows: September and October new home sales, a new Fed Beige Book and the November ISM service sector PMI (12/4), the second estimate of Q3 GDP out of Washington, the November Challenger job-cut report and October factory orders (12/5), the November employment report, October consumer spending figures and the University of Michigan’s initial December consumer sentiment index (12/6), October wholesale inventories (12/10), November retail sales and October business inventories (12/12), the November PPI (12/13), November industrial output (12/16), the November CPI and the December NAHB housing market index (12/17), the latest Fed policy announcement plus data on September, October and November housing starts and November building permits (12/18), the last estimate of Q3 GDP (12/20), the University of Michigan’s final December consumer sentiment index and Commerce Department figures on November consumer spending (12/23), November new home sales and durable goods orders and October’s FHFA housing price index (12/24), and November pending home sales (12/30)

Best Regards,

Kevin Kroskey, CFP®, MBA

This article adapted with permission from MarketingLibrary.net.

Citations.

1 - online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3024-m_globalstockindexes.html [11/29/13]
2 - ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx [12/2/13]
3 - ism.ws/ismreport/mfgrob.cfm [12/2/13]
4 - ism.ws/ISMReport/NonMfgROB.cfm [11/5/13]
5 - marketwatch.com/Economy-Politics/Calendars/Economic [11/8/13]
6 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2013/11/8 [11/8/13]
7 - news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=620267 [11/20/13]
8 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2013/11/25-29 [11/27/13]
9 - marketwatch.com/story/us-wholesale-costs-fall-again-in-october-2013-11-21 [11/21/13]
10 - bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-13/asian-futures-heed-u-s-rally-as-yelen-boosts-treasuries.html [11/13/13]
11 - bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-21/fed-qe-taper-likely-in-coming-months-on-better-data-minutes-say.html [11/21/13]
12 - cnn.com/2013/12/02/politics/obamacare-website/index.html [12/2/13]
13 - investing.com/news/forex-news/dollar-remains-steady-to-lower-in-thin-trade-255784 [11/29/13]
14 - investing.com/news/forex-news/forex---gbp-usd-hits-fresh-highs-after-u.k.-manufacturing-pmi-255844 [12/2/13]
15 - online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304579404579233363367081556 [12/2/13]
16 - mscibarra.com/products/indices/international_equity_indices/gimi/stdindex/performance.html [11/29/13]
17 - money.cnn.com/data/commodities/ [11/29/13]
18 - online.wsj.com/mdc/public/npage/2_3050.html?mod=mdc_curr_dtabnk&symb=DXY [11/29/13]
19 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2013/11/25-29 [11/27/13]
20 - dailyfinance.com/2013/11/26/case-shillers-housing-index-and-octobers-housing-s/ [11/26/13]
21 - freddiemac.com/pmms/ [12/2/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=11%2F29%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=11%2F29%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=11%2F29%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=11%2F28%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=11%2F28%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
22 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=11%2F28%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/28/13]
23 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [12/2/13]
24 - cnbc.com/id/101235707 [11/29/13]

October Monthly Market Commentary

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

A strong market overcame two significant challenges in October – a 16-day closure of most of the federal government, and the threat of a U.S. debt default. Congress broke the stalemate with a short-term, kick-the-can rescue – a deal which guaranteed government funding until January 15 and extended the nation’s borrowing authority until February 7. Investors were relieved, and the S&P 500 added 4.46% to its YTD gain during the month. 

Social Security recipients got a mild increase in payments for 2014, and uninsured individuals who visited healthcare.gov mostly got frustrated. Signs of the housing market cooling down a bit emerged, but there was still good news from the sector.^1,2

 

DOMESTIC ECONOMIC HEALTH

Standard & Poor’s estimates that the October shutdown took 0.6% off Q4 GDP and cost the U.S. economy an estimated $24 billion. It certainly dented consumer confidence: the October Conference Board index showed a one-month drop of 9.0 points to 71.2, and the month’s final University of Michigan consumer sentiment index came in at 73.2, the lowest reading since last November.^3,4,5

 

The impasse in Washington delayed or postponed some regularly scheduled economic reports. We did learn that the jobless rate had ticked down to 7.2% in September, even with only 148,000 new jobs created (economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a gain of 180,000). Consumer inflation rose 0.2% in September after ticking up 0.1% in August, while wholesale inflation decreased 0.1% in September after a 0.3% August advance. Retail sales retreated 0.1% in September, but were up 0.4% with auto buying factored out. Industrial output increased 0.6% in September, and durable goods orders rose 3.7%.^4,5,6  

 

Many uninsured consumers faced an impasse as they tried to use healthcare.gov, the federal government’s new website created to help people shop for health coverage in 36 states. The site was plagued by back-end design and security issues, leading some of its critics to call for the immediate resignation of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Additionally, some insured Americans discovered they would have to buy new coverage in 2014 due to the inability of their current health insurance to meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act.^7,8 

 

In more positive news, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose to 56.4 in October, marking the fifth straight month of expansion. The last ISM report on the service sector (September) also showed expansion at 54.4, although this was a real drop from August’s reading of 58.6.^9,10

 

As expected, the Federal Reserve refrained from tapering its $85-billion-per-month asset purchase program. Noting that “fiscal policy is restraining economic growth,” the Federal Open Market Committee’s October 30 statement also conceded that “the recovery in the housing sector slowed somewhat in recent months.” Social Security announced a 1.5% COLA for 2014, one of the program’s smallest COLAs ever; that works out to an additional $19 a month for the average recipient.^11,12

 

GLOBAL ECONOMIC HEALTH

Demand for exports seemed to be driving manufacturing growth in Asia. China’s official purchasing managers index hit 51.4 in October, an 18-month high.  The HSBC/Markit PMI for China also rose to 50.9 in October. Good news, yet a Bloomberg poll of 52 economists projected China’s 2013 GDP at 7.6%, the poorest since 1999. Markit’s factory-sector PMI for Japan climbed 1.7 points in October to 54.2 and Taiwan’s rose to 53.0. October’s Markit manufacturing PMI for India showed sector contraction – it was at 49.6 for a second straight month.^13,14

 

Great Britain’s Markit PMI slipped 0.3 points to a still-impressive 56.0 in October. The combined Markit PMI for the eurozone slipped from 52.2 in September to 51.5 last month, but that reading still marked the fourth consecutive time it was above 50. Eurozone unemployment was at 12.0%, but Markit noted 15 eurozone members reporting “modest growth of activity for the third month running, representing the first period of growth for these countries since early 2011.” Spain had actually emerged from its 2-year recession in Q3, and its jobless rate fell in Q3 as well.^13,15

 

WORLD MARKETS

Many benchmarks rose. Across the pond, the DAX gained 5.11% in October, the STOXX 600 3.84%, the CAC 40 3.78% and the FTSE 100 4.17%. Up north, the TSX Composite climbed 4.49%; to our south, the IPC All-Share gained 2.12%. While the Nikkei 225 and Shanghai Composite respectively lost 0.88% and 1.52% for the month, advances were more common in Asia: the Hang Seng added 1.52%, the Jakarta Composite 4.51%, the KOSPI 1.66% and the Sensex 9.21%. Looking at multinational/regional benchmarks, the MSCI World Index was up 3.83% for the month while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 4.76%; the Asia Dow advanced 3.01%, the Europe Dow 4.24% and the Global Dow 4.38%.^2,16

 

COMMODITIES MARKETS

Performances were all over the place. While copper lost 0.63% and gold 0.34%, silver futures advanced 1.59% and platinum futures 2.98%. NYMEX crude fell 5.91% on the month and unleaded gasoline retreated 0.51%, but natural gas rose 0.39%. Among the major crop futures, sugar (+4.12%) and cocoa (+1.29%) were the gainers. Soybeans lost only 0.04%, but deeper October losses were in store for wheat (1.69%), corn (3.00%), coffee (7.59%) and cotton (11.50%). The U.S. Dollar Index lost 0.02 points on the month to wrap up October at 80.20.^17,18

  

REAL ESTATE

Existing home sales fell 1.9% in September, but the National Association of Realtors said that the median home price was $199,200 – up 11.7% in the past 12 months, which marked the tenth consecutive month of double-digit annual price increases. August’s overall S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index mirrored this trend – it had prices up 12.8% year-over-year, improved from 12.3% in the July edition. NAR noted a 5.6% dip in pending home sales for September. October ended without September new home sales or new residential construction reports from the Census Bureau.^4,19

  

Mortgage rates fell, with one exception. Comparing Freddie Mac’s October 31 and September 26 Primary Mortgage Market Surveys, we see the following decreases: 30-year FRMs, 4.32% to 4.10%; 15-year FRMs, 3.37% to 3.20%; 5/1-year ARMs, 3.07% to 2.96%. Interest rates on 1-year ARMs rose 0.01% in October to 2.64%.²⁰

  

LOOKING BACK…LOOKING FORWARD

The S&P 500 closed at 1,756.54 on Halloween, while the Dow settled at 15,545.75 and the NASDAQ at 3,919.71. Small caps pushed higher as well: the Russell 2000 gained 2.45% last month, ending October at 1,100.15.²

 

As the federal shutdown altered some of the data collection and research processes that normally go into the economic reports out of Washington, the market may take the upcoming editions of those reports with a few grains of salt. Private-sector reports may carry more weight this month and next. There is a sense of normalcy, as the market has again been concentrating on earnings – and normalcy is good for a mature bull market. The next big test for stocks will come in mid-December – will the new congressional supercommittee meet its deadline to craft a multi-year deficit reduction plan for the federal budget? If it doesn’t, we may have a replay of the October impasse on Capitol Hill – and a sense of déjà vu on Wall Street.

 

UPCOMING ECONOMIC RELEASES: As you will notice, the data stream is a bit off-kilter for November. Just ahead, we have August and September factory orders (11/4), the October ISM service sector PMI (11/5), September’s Conference Board leading indicators (11/6), the October Challenger job-cut report and the federal government’s delayed first estimate of Q3 GDP (11/7), the Labor Department’s October jobs report, the University of Michigan’s initial November consumer sentiment index and Commerce Department figures on September consumer spending (11/8), September wholesale inventories and October industrial production (11/15), the November NAHB housing market index (11/18), September business inventories, October’s CPI, retail sales and existing home sales and the October 30 FOMC minutes (11/20), the October PPI (11/21), October pending home sales, September and October housing starts and building permits, the September Case-Shiller and FHFA housing price indices, the second estimate of Q3 GDP and the Conference Board’s November consumer confidence survey (11/26), October consumer spending and durable goods orders and the final November University of Michigan consumer sentiment index (11/27). Thanksgiving falls on November 28, and due to the long weekend accompanying the holiday, there will be no further major economic releases until December. When will the Census Bureau put out some new home sales data? A combined September/October report is scheduled to appear December 4.

 

Best Regards,

Kevin Kroskey, CFP®, MBA

This article adapted with permission from MarketingLibrary.net.

Citations.

1 - chicagotribune.com/news/chi-government-shutdown-20131016,0,1118789.story [10/17/13]

2 - online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3024-m_globalstockindexes.html [10/31/13]

3 - swampland.time.com/2013/10/17/heres-what-the-government-shutdown-cost-the-economy/ [10/17/13]

4 - briefing.com/investor/calendars/economic/2013/10/28-01 [11/1/13]

5 - tinyurl.com/lqwsp7p [10/25/13]

6 - stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-360718/ [10/22/13]

7 - arkansasonline.com/news/2013/oct/30/sebelius-apologizes-health-law-rollout-problems/ [10/30/13]

8 - arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/healthcare-gov-deferred-final-security-check-could-leak-personal-data/ [10/30/13]

9 - ism.ws/ismreport/mfgrob.cfm [11/1/13]

10 - ism.ws/ISMReport/NonMfgROB.cfm [10/3/13]

11 - bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-30/fed-keeps-85-billion-qe-pace-awaiting-signs-economy-picks-up.html [10/30/13]

12 - money.cnn.com/2013/10/30/news/economy/social-security-benefits/ [10/30/13]

13 - bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-01/manufacturing-strengthens-from-china-to-south-korea-economy.html/ [11/1/13]

14 - tinyurl.com/qf55s9c [11/2/13]

15 - nytimes.com/2013/10/25/business/international/europes-economy-shows-modest-signs-of-life.html [10/25/13]

16 - mscibarra.com/products/indices/international_equity_indices/gimi/stdindex/performance.html [10/31/13]

17 - money.cnn.com/data/commodities/ [10/31/13]

18 - online.wsj.com/mdc/public/npage/2_3050.html?mod=mdc_curr_dtabnk&symb=DXY [10/31/13]

19 - latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-existing-home-sales-20131021,0,6791691.story#axzz2jcIkT3V1 [10/21/13]

20 - freddiemac.com/pmms/ [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=10%2F31%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=10%2F31%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=10%2F31%2F12&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=10%2F31%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=10%2F31%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

21 - bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=10%2F31%2F03&x=0&y=0 [11/3/13]

22 - treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [11/3/13]