Weekly Economic Update for the Week of November 16, 2009

C.W. Copeland & Associates presents

Weekly Economic Update for the Week of November 16, 2009

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Quote of the week."Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."- Marion Wright Edelman

Unemployment weighs on sentiment.American consumer sentiment unexpectedly dipped this month, at least according to the findings of the latest Reuters/University of Michigan survey. The respected index hit 66.0 last week, a three-month low and down from 70.6 for October. With a 10.2% jobless rate in the headlines, it is understandable.¹

Gold futures advance, oil futures dip.A weak dollar aided gold prices last week, while the weakness in consumer sentiment hurt oil futures. Gold prices rose nearly 2% last week, settling at $1,116.70 per ounce on the NYMEX. Oil slipped 1.4% last week; prices fell to $76.34 per barrel at Friday's close.^2,3

Initial claims lowest since 1/09. New claims for state unemployment benefits dropped to their lowest level in ten months in the week ending November 7, the Labor Department noted Thursday. At the end of October, continued claims dropped to the lowest level since March.⁴

Trade deficit widens 18.2% in September. Even as U.S. exports gained for the fifth month in a row, imports rose by 5.2% from August levels, including a 20.1% rise in oil shipments. However, economists expect global demand for U.S. exports to keep rising as the dollar is about 12% below where it was last spring against other major world currencies.⁵

Dow hits 13-month high.With earnings reports from major retailers and media giants topping expectations, a 73-point push sent the DJIA to a close of 10,270.47 Friday, its highest finish since October 2008. The S&P 500 ended the week at 1,093.48 and the NASDAQ wrapped up at 2,167.88 Friday.⁶

% Change	Y-T-D	1-Yr Chg	5-Yr Avg	10-Yr Avg
DJIA	+17.02	+16.24	-0.51	-0.46
NASDAQ	+37.47	+35.77	+0.79	-3.27
S&P 500	+21.06	+19.99	-1.53	-2.17
Real Yield	11/13	1 Yr Ago	5 Yrs Ago	10 Yrs Ago
10YrTIPS	1.31%	2.95%	1.71%	4.14%

(Source: CNNMoney.com, ustreas.gov, bls.gov, 11/13/09)^7,8,9

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.Only one bachelor has served as President of the United States. Additionally, only one President has entered office having been legally divorced. Who were these two Presidents?

Contact my office or see next week's Update for the answer.

Last week's riddle: Determine the numeral between 1 and 100 which is also nine times the sum of its digits.

Last week's riddle answer:81. 8 + 1 = 9, 9 x 9 = 81.

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Regards,

C.W. Copeland
"Your Personal CFO"
404.567.3275 (cell)
www.PhDinMoney.com