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| Economic Events | |
The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for October, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,469.9 billion, up 0.3% from September and up 6.1% from October 2017, the Census Bureau reported.
Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for November, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $513.5 billion, an increase of 0.2% from the previous month, and 4.2% above November 2017. Retail trade sales were up 0.3% from October, and 4.0% above last year. Nonstore Retailers were up 10.8% from November 2017, while Gasoline Stations were up 8.2% from last year. THE ECONOMIC WEEK AHEAD: Tomorrow, the Census Bureau will report about housing starts for November. Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors will report about existing home sales for November. Thursday, the Labor Department will release its initial claims report. Friday, the Census Bureau will report about durable goods orders for November. | |
| Sponsored message from Vanguard | |
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| Market Mirror | |
Friday, the Dow was down 496.87 points (2.02%) to 24,100.51, the NASDAQ declined by 159.67 points (2.26%) to 6,910.67, and the S&P 500 fell by 50.59 points (1.91%) to 2,599.95. The Russell 2000 gave up 21.89 points (1.53%) to close at 1,410.81, and the Wilshire 5000 tumbled by 490.68 points (1.80%) to 26,749.34.
The price of the 10-year Treasury note was up by 5/32, decreasing its yield to 2.894%, and the price of the 30-year Treasury bond was up by 15/32, decreasing its yield to 3.146%. WEEK’S WORTH: For the week ended December 14, the Down declined 1.18%, the S&P 500 was off 1.26%, and the NASDAQ shed 0.84%. The Russell 2000 was down 2.57%, and the Wilshire 5000 lost 1.45% of its value. | |
| From the Magazine | |
| Looking Closer | |
| Don’t miss these less obvious variables for improving retirement readiness.Read more > | |
| Investing | |
| Another Fund Manager Forecast Urges Tempered Optimism | |
| Charles Schwab’s 2019 forecast does not suggest long-term investors should rotate their portfolios away from risky assets, but investors should be more thoughtful about the growth assets they hold.Read more > | |
| Small Talk | |
| ON THIS DATE: In 1903, the first successful gasoline-powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the flight. In 1944, the U.S. Army announced the end of its policy of excluding Japanese-Americans from the West Coast which ensured that Japanese-Americans were released from detention camps. In 1953, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to approve RCA’s color television specifications. In 1969, the U.S. Air Force closed its Project “Blue Book” by concluding that there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings. In 1975, Lynette Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of U.S. President Ford. In 1976, WTCG-TV, Atlanta, Georgia, changed its call letters to WTBS, and was uplinked via satellite. The station became the first commercial TV station to cover the entire U.S. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement. In 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the No Electronic Theft Act. The act removed protection from individuals who claimed that they took no direct financial gains from stealing copyrighted works and downloading them from the Internet. In 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence gathering in 50 years. The bill aimed to tighten borders and aviation security. It also created a federal counterterrorism center and a new intelligence director. | |
| SURVEY SAYS RESPONSES: Last week, I asked NewsDash readers, “What is your favorite holiday song?” I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, O Come All Ye Faithful and What Child Is This (Greensleeves) were selected by 2.4% of readers. All I Want for Christmas Is You, Carol of the Bells, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Silent Night were each chosen by 3.6% of respondents. That leaves the top picks. I also asked NewsDash readers whether their favorite song changed from the 2016 survey. One-third (33.7%) indicated they don’t remember, 20.5% said it didn’t, 7.2% said it did, and 38.5% did not participate in the 2016 survey. Readers who chose to leave comments expressed how they loved holiday songs and it was difficult to pick a favorite. Others gave reasons for the favorite they picked. There were several comments about Baby It’s Cold Outside. Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who said: “My favorite time of year because all the music genres come together and sing the most beautiful songs. If only our world would come together like our music can!” Many thanks to all who participated in the survey!Read more > | |
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Editorial: Alison Cooke Mintzer alison.mintzer@strategic-i.com
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