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February 2, 2015 - What Clues Did the First Month of the Year Leave Us?

| February 02, 2015

Markets were driven lower in another volatile week of trading, ending the first month of 2015 in the red. For the week, the S&P 500 lost 2.77%, the Dow fell 2.87%, and the Nasdaq dropped 2.58%.[1]

One of the major contributors to the week's losses was an unexpected miss in fourth quarter economic growth. The first estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) showed that the economy grew an underwhelming 2.6% in the last three months of 2014. This is a significant drop from the 5.0% growth the economy saw in the third quarter and below economists' expectations of 2.8%-3.0% growth. However, consumer spending was higher than expected, showing that Americans are still buying. Also, keep in mind that this is just the first estimate of GDP growth.[2] A lot of economic data has yet to be analyzed, and we can hope for upward revisions in the months to come.

Earnings season marches onward and the news is mixed. While the reports we've seen from 228 S&P 500 companies show that earnings are up 5.5% over the same period in 2013, revenues are up just 1.7%.[3] Overall, U.S. companies appear to be struggling with three factors:

  • Falling oil prices, which are seriously affecting energy companies and interrelated businesses.
  • The strength of the U.S. dollar, which is hitting companies that depend on foreign demand hard. A strong dollar makes it more expensive to buy U.S. products.
  • Weak global economic growth. This factor is also pressing down forward-moving guidance from companies, many of which are expecting a tough business environment in 2015.[4]

Even if overall earnings numbers may not look inspiring, there are a lot of individual success stories in each sector. Though volatility is stressful, it can provide opportunities for investors who can be flexible. Part of what we do for our clients is look for those opportunities for growth in every market environment.

Oil prices continued to slide though some analysts believe we may be approaching an oil price floor. One industry insider believes that oil prices could double by the end of 2015 as oil companies respond to the supply glut by slowing down production.[5]

Looking forward, the week ahead is filled with more economic reports, including the January Employment Situation Report, which will hopefully show continual improvement in the labor market. Markets are likely to remain volatile in the days and weeks ahead, but we can hope that positive data might encourage investors to "buy the dip.


ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

Monday: Personal Income and Outlays, PMI Manufacturing Index, ISM Mfg Index, Construction Spending
Tuesday: Motor Vehicle Sales, Factory Orders
Wednesday: ADP Employment Report, ISM Non-Mfg. Index, EIA Petroleum Status Report
Thursday: International Trade, Jobless Claims, Productivity and Costs
Friday: Employment Situation

Notes: All index returns exclude reinvested dividends, and the 5-year and 10-year returns are annualized. Sources: Yahoo! Finance and Treasury.gov. International performance is represented by the MSCI EAFE Index. Corporate bond performance is represented by the DJCBP. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.


HEADLINES:

Durable goods fall sharply in December. Orders for long lasting U.S. manufactured goods dropped 3.4% in December after falling 2.1% in November, raising questions about the health of one of the economy's most important sectors. Though demand for automobiles grew, a core indicator of business investment fell for the fourth straight month.[6]

Consumer sentiment brightens in January. Optimism about better job and wage prospects sent a measure of U.S. consumer sentiment to its highest level since 2004. Hopefully, increased confidence in the economic expansion will translate into higher consumer spending this quarter.[7]

Chinese factory growth slides. China's manufacturing sector unexpectedly shrank in January to the lowest level since 2012. Since factories often experience a bump just before an important spring holiday, the drop could presage further gloom for China's economy.[8]

Jobless claims fall to 14-year low. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since 2000. Claims had been trending higher in previous reports, so the sudden drop is an indicator that the labor market is returning to its positive trend.[9]


These are the views of Platinum Advisor Marketing Strategies, LLC, and not necessarily those of the named representative, Broker dealer or Investment Advisor, and should not be construed as investment advice. Neither the named representative nor the named Broker dealer or Investment Advisor gives tax or legal advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please consult your financial advisor for further information.


Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

Diversification does not guarantee profit nor is it guaranteed to protect assets.

The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

The Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and growth companies.

The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that serves as a benchmark of the performance in major international equity markets as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia.

The Dow Jones Corporate Bond Index is a 96-bond index designed to represent the market performance, on a total-return basis, of investment-grade bonds issued by leading U.S. companies. Bonds are equally weighted by maturity cell, industry sector, and the overall index.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are the leading measures of U.S. residential real estate prices, tracking changes in the value of residential real estate. The index is made up of measures of real estate prices in 20 cities and weighted to produce the index.

The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

Google Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.

Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

You cannot invest directly in an index.

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  1. www.google.com
  2. www.cnbc.com
  3. www.zacks.com
  4. www.zacks.com
  5. www.cnbc.com
  6. www.usatoday.com
  7. www.reuters.com
  8. www.reuters.com
  9. www.marketwatch.com