C.W. Copeland & Associates presents
Weekly Economic Update for the Week of October 26, 2009
_______________________________________________________________________________
Quote of the week."Character is much easier kept than recovered."- Thomas Paine
Fewer "For Sale" signs.Existing home sales set a record in September - they rose by 9.4%, spurred by the federal credit for first-time buyers. (That $8,000 credit is valid through November 30.) September's sales pace was the hottest in two years and the median sales price fell at the slowest pace in a year, according to the National Association of Realtors.1
Leading indicators rise notably. The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index went north 1.0% in September, marking the sixth straight monthly increase. The LEI monitors developments in categories such as jobless claims, housing permits, interest-rate spreads and consumer confidence.2
PPI drops.In September, inflation was not a factor at factories. Producer prices dropped 0.6% (core PPI fell 0.1%). PPI has seesawed positive and negative across the last three months of data.3
Housing starts rise.However, the 0.5% September increase announced by the Commerce Department was less than economists anticipated. Housing permits decreased in September for the second time in three months.3
Gold, copper, oil all advance.Gold prices gained $4.90 last week to finish at $1,055.60 an ounce Friday. Prices have risen 15.72% across the last three weeks. Copper had its best week since mid-July, posting a 6.57% gain last week. Oil prices advanced $1.48 per barrel last week to settle at $80.50 Friday.4
Slight losses for stocks.The S&P 500 lost 0.7% last week, while the NASDAQ ended down 0.1% for the same time span. The DJIA retreated 0.2% last week to close at 9,972.18 Friday.5
| % Change | Y-T-D | 1-Yr Avg | 5-Yr Avg | 10-Yr Avg |
| DJIA | +13.63 | +14.74 | -0.44 | -0.48 |
| NASDAQ | +36.62 | +34.33 | +2.50 | -2.35 |
| S&P 500 | +19.52 | +18.88 | -0.29 | -1.71 |
| Real Yield | 10/23 | 1 Yr Ago | 5 Yrs Ago | 10 Yrs Ago |
| 10YrTIPS | 1.51% | 2.67% | 1.64% | 4.14% |
(Source: CNNMoney.com, ustreas.gov, bls.gov, 10/23/09)6,7,8
Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.
Riddle of the week.The names of two U.S. state capital cities rhyme but share no vowels. Name the two cities.
Contact my office or see next week's Update for the answer.
Last week's riddle: What is the timepiece with the most moving parts? (It's been around for centuries.)
Last week's riddle answer:The hourglass.
___________________________________________________________________
Please feel free to forward this article to family, friends or colleagues.
If you would like us to add them to our list, please reply with their address
and we will contact them and ask for their permission to be added.
C.W. Copeland
"Your Personal CFO"
Atlanta Planning Group
Lifestyle Management Division
3715 Northside Parkway
Building 200; Suite 490
Atlanta, GA 30327
404.816.1153 ext.540
404.601.9534 (fax)
www.PhDinMoney.com
No comments:
Post a Comment