Money Talk Podcast, Friday July 27, 2012
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Landaas & Company newsletter July edition now available.Advisors on This Week’s Show
Bob Landaas
Brian Kilb
Marc Amateis
Paul Coldagelli
(with Max Hoelzl)Week in Review (July 23-27, 2012)
Significant economic indicators & reports
Monday
No significant reports released
Tuesday
No significant reports released
Wednesday
The annual rate of new-home sales dropped in June for the first time in four months. The Commerce Department reported an 8.4% dip in the rate of houses sold, down from the two-year high set in May, but it was 15% above June 2011. The median price of new houses fell 3.2% from the year before. The numbers disappointed analysts and served as a reminder of the challenges still facing housing amid other recent indications that the sector’s darkest days are past.
Thursday
Commerce said durable goods orders for June grew by 1.6%, mostly thanks to requests for aircraft. Aside from the volatile transportation segment, manufacturing orders broadly declined from May, possibly reflecting slower economic growth worldwide. In particular, capital goods orders for non-defense items excluding aircraft – a proxy for business investments – declined in June after a strong gain in May. Overall orders remained above year-ago levels at rates that are higher than normal.
The four-week moving average of initial unemployment claims dipped for the fifth week in a row and reached its lowest level since March. The trend could bode well for employment numbers for July, or it could be an aberration caused by statistical quirks in the seasonally adjusted data.
Friday
The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 1.5% in the second quarter, according to a preliminary estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That follows a 2% rate in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which drives 70% of economic activity, rose at a 1.5% rate in the second quarter, down from 2.4% in the first three months of the year. Although the report confirmed other evidence of slowing growth, it also was better than analysts had expected.
Where the Markets Closed for the Week
- Nasdaq – 2,958, up 33 points or 1.1%
- Standard & Poor’s 500 – 1,386, up 23 points or 1.7%
- 10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 1.55%, up 0.09 point
- Dow Jones Industrial Average – 13,076, up 253 points or 2%
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