May 12, 2015
WEEKLY ECONOMIC UPDATE

RETAIL SALES WERE FLAT IN APRIL

Analysts surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast only a 0.1% advance, so this news was no shock. Still, it was disappointing after the (revised) 1.1% gain noted by the Commerce Department for March. The year-over-year improvement in the pace of retail sales was just 0.9%; last August, it reached 5.0%. Core retail sales (minus car and truck buying and fuel purchases) only increased 0.1% last month.1,2

 

CONSUMER SENTIMENT DIPS

The decline in the preliminary May University of Michigan consumer sentiment index defied expectations. At 88.6, the index fell 7.3 points from its final April mark. A consensus forecast of analysts contacted by Reuters projected a 96.0 reading.3

 

PRODUCER PRICES & INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT RETREAT

The Producer Price Index is still showing the impact of cheaper energy costs - it fell 0.4% in April after rising 0.2% a month earlier. According to the Federal Reserve, industrial production declined 0.3% in April, the same as in March.

 

STOCKS & OIL CLIMB

Light sweet crude settled at $59.69 on the NYMEX Friday, advancing for a ninth straight week - its longest weekly winning streak since 1983. As a Thursday rally offset losses from previous trading days, the Dow advanced 0.45% for the week to 18,272.56. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.89% last week to 5,048.29, the S&P 500 0.31% to 2,122.73.4,5

 

THIS WEEK

Urban Outfitters and Take-Two Interactive issue quarterly results Monday. On Tuesday, earnings arrive from Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, TJX, Home Depot, Red Robin, and Etsy along with data on April housing starts and groundbreaking. Minutes from April's Federal Reserve policy meeting appear Wednesday, plus earnings from American Eagle Outfitters, Hormel, L Brands, Target, Lowe's, NetApp, Salesforce.com, Staples and Williams-Sonoma.Thursday, Wall Street reviews April existing home sales, new initial claims numbers, April leading indicators from the Conference Board and earnings from Aeropostale, Advance Auto Parts, America's Car-Mart, Best Buy, Booz Allen Hamilton, Intuit, Dollar Tree, The Fresh Market, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, Lions Gate Entertainment, Ross Stores, Toro and Stein Mart.Friday, Fed chair Janet Yellen speaks in Rhode Island on the outlook for the U.S. economy; in addition, April's CPI appears plus earnings from Foot Locker, Ann, Deere & Co. and Campbell Soup. 


% CHANGE

Y-T-D

1-YR CHG

5-YR AVG

10-YR AVG

DJIA

+2.52

+11.10

+14.41

+7.82

NASDAQ

+6.59

+24.06

+23.02

+15.31

S&P 500

+3.10

+13.46

+17.38

+8.21

REAL YIELD

5/15 RATE

1 YR AGO

5 YRS AGO

10 YRS AGO

10 YR TIPS

0.31%

0.31%

1.26%

1.66%

Sources: wsj.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov - 5/15/156,7,8,9

Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends. 10-year TIPS real yield = projected return at maturity given expected inflation 

 

 Connect With Us!   

 

 Like us on Facebook

 

Phil Guerrero, CFP

President

Wealth Advisor

[email protected]

 

Ryan Heybeck

Wealth Advisor

[email protected]

 

Dan Dame

ChFC, CLU, REBC

Wealth Advisor

[email protected]

 

Terry Maziarka

Operations Manager

[email protected]

 

847.550.6100

WEEKLY QUOTE    

"The truth is not simply what you think it is; it is also the circumstances in which it is said, and to whom, why and how it is said."

    

- Vaclav Havel

 

WEEKLY TIP  

Wondering what your cash flow might be like in retirement? Think about your potential income needs in your eighties and nineties as well as your sixties and seventies. Take sustained moderate inflation and the possibility of major medical expenses into account for the long term.   

 

WEEKLY RIDDLE   

No matter how little or how much you use me, you change your view of me every month. What am I?

 

LAST WEEK'S RIDDLE:

I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old, usually indoors and sometimes on fire. What am I?  

LAST WEEK'S ANSWER:

A candle.