Presented by Mark Gallagher

General market news
• The 10-year U.S. Treasury has been bouncing between 2.70 percent and 2.75 percent since January 8. It opened early Monday at 2.74 percent, while the 2-year opened at 2.60 percent and the 30-year opened at 3 percent. Parts of the curve remain inverted as rate investors wait to hear more information on trade, politics, and economic trends.
• The three major U.S. markets were relatively flat, and the week saw mixed trading. With growing global growth concerns, REITs, technology, and utilities were the only three positive sectors. The technology stocks were buoyed by better-than-expected guidance out of the semiconductor space, with Texas Instruments (TXN), Lam Research (LRCX), and STMicroelectronics (STM) all up more than 5 percent on the week.
• China reported growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) of just 6.6 percent on Monday. This is the lowest level since 1990. These growth concerns come ahead of U.S.-China trade talks, which are set to resume on Wednesday.
• Last week was relatively quiet on the economic update front, with only two major data releases. On Tuesday, existing home sales for December came in worse than expected, with a decline of 6.4 percent on a monthly basis.
• On Thursday, the Markit U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index rose from 53.8 to 54.9. This was a positive development that indicates that manufacturers are still investing in their businesses in the face of the recent government shutdown.

Source: Bloomberg

Source: Morningstar Direct

 What to look forward to
This week will be a busy one on the economic front, although some reports may not be released due to the just-ended government shutdown.

On Tuesday, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index is expected to drop further after a surprise decline last month. It should go from 128.1 to 125, on rising concerns about the effects of the government shutdown. Even with the expected decline, confidence would remain at a healthy level and still be supportive of continued growth. But this drop could be a warning sign of weaker conditions ahead.

On Wednesday, the first estimate of economic growth for the fourth quarter of 2018 is due, although it may not be released as the government works at reopening. Growth in GDP is expected to drop from 3.4 percent in the third quarter to 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter, although there may be some upside risk on strong consumer spending.

Also on Wednesday, the meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee will conclude and be followed by a press conference. After the rate increase announced at the last meeting, markets are expecting rates to remain the same, and analysts will be looking to see whether the recent dovish tone on inflation has intensified. If so, markets could react positively.

On Thursday, the personal income and spending report for December is due, although (again) it may not be released. Income growth is expected to rise from 0.2 percent in November to 0.5 percent in December on strong job growth. Spending growth is expected to tick down from 0.4 percent in November to 0.3 percent for December, which would still be healthy.

On Friday, the employment report is expected to show that job growth decreased from an extremely strong 312,000 in December to 163,000 for January. The unemployment rate is expected to tick down from 3.9 percent in December to 3.8 percent for January. The job growth number will not include the federal workers currently on furlough, as they will be counted as employed. But these workers will show up in the unemployment index, which may push it up a bit above expectations. Wage growth is expected to tick down a bit, from 0.4 percent for December to 0.3 percent for January, on a monthly basis. The increase on an annual basis in wage growth is expected to stay steady at 3.2 percent. If the numbers come in as expected, this would be another healthy report and signal continued economic growth.

Finally on Friday, the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing index is expected to increase slightly. It should go from 54.1 to 54.3 for January, after a surprise drop to a two-year low in December. This is a diffusion index, where values above 50 indicate expansion and below 50 indicate contraction. So, this index remains healthy. There is some downside risk here, on slowing global growth in general and the recent impact of the government shutdown. Uncertainty over trade policy remains a headwind as well. Even with a moderate pullback, however, this would still remain positive for the economy as a whole.

Disclosures: Certain sections of this commentary contain forward-looking statements that are based on our reasonable expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. All indices are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment by the public. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The S&P 500 is based on the average performance of the 500 industrial stocks monitored by Standard & Poor’s. The Nasdaq Composite Index measures the performance of all issues listed in the Nasdaq Stock Market, except for rights, warrants, units, and convertible debentures. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is computed by summing the prices of the stocks of 30 large companies and then dividing that total by an adjusted value, one which has been adjusted over the years to account for the effects of stock splits on the prices of the 30 companies. Dividends are reinvested to reflect the actual performance of the underlying securities. The MSCI EAFE Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a market capitalization-weighted index composed of companies representative of the market structure of 26 emerging market countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific Basin. The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted performance benchmark for investment-grade fixed-rate debt issues, including government, corporate, asset-backed, and mortgage-backed securities with maturities of at least one year. The U.S. Treasury Index is based on the auctions of U.S. Treasury bills, or on the U.S. Treasury’s daily yield curve. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted index of 15- and 30-year fixed-rate securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), and balloon mortgages with fixed-rate coupons. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Municipal Index includes investment-grade, tax-exempt, and fixed-rate bonds with long-term maturities (greater than 2 years) selected from issues larger than $50 million.

Mark Gallagher is a financial advisor located at Gallagher Financial Services at 2586 East 7th Ave. Suite #304, North Saint Paul, MN 55109. He offers securities and advisory services as an Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. He can be reached at 651-774-8759 or at mark@markgallagher.com.

Authored by the Investment Research team at Commonwealth Financial Network.

© 2019 Commonwealth Financial Network®

Presented by Mark Gallagher

General market news
• Rates moved up for the second week in a row, reversing some of the decline we experienced at the beginning of the year. The 10-year Treasury opened the week at 2.75 percent, while the 30-year opened slightly higher at 3.07 percent and the 2-year opened at 2.59 percent.
• The three major U.S. markets all posted gains on the week. The two main drivers of positive investor sentiment included optimism surrounding a U.S.-Chinese trade deal and a perceived dovish tone from Federal Reserve (Fed) members. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin had discussed lowering tariffs on Chinese goods as an olive branch to Chinese negotiators. Usually hawkish, Kansas City Fed President Esther George said that a pause in the Fed’s normalization process would give the bank time to make a proper assessment of the incoming data. Finally, New York Fed President Williams stated that a government shutdown could cut quarterly growth from 0.5 percent to 1 percent, depending on its length.
• Financials, industrials, and energy were among the top-performing sectors. Oil posted gains, and banks (including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America) posted strong beats. The worst performers were utilities and consumer staples, with investors favoring a risk-on sentiment.
• The Producer Price Index came in slightly softer than expected, with the core index (excluding food and energy) falling 0.1 percent month-over-month versus the estimate of a gain of 0.2 percent.
• The University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey declined from 98.3 to 90.7, which was much lower than the survey estimate of 96.8. This decline likely came from a combination of equity market volatility and the government shutdown weighing on consumers.
• Government data continues to become backlogged due to the shutdown. Some data points may be missed depending on the length of the shutdown.

Source: Bloomberg

Source: Morningstar Direct

What to look forward to
As with last week, several of the scheduled reports are prepared by government agencies currently affected by the shutdown and will not be released until the government reopens. This would be a slow week anyway. But with the shutdown, it will be especially slow.

On Tuesday, the existing home sales report is expected to pull back from 5,320,000 in November to 5,270,000 in December. This result would indicate continued weakness in the housing market and would be consistent with declining consumer confidence and housing affordability.

On Friday, the durable goods orders report will not be released, but the numbers are expected to improve. For the headline number, which includes the very volatile aircraft sector, growth is expected to rise from 0.8 percent in November to 1.5 percent in December. Here, there is significant upside risk based on increases in orders for planes. The core number, which is a much better economic indicator, is also expected to rise, from a decline of 0.3 percent in November to a gain of 0.2 percent for December. This result would indicate that business investment may be moderating but continues to expand.

Also on Friday, the new home sales report is scheduled, but it will not be released due to the shutdown. No estimates are currently available as to expected results.

Disclosures: Certain sections of this commentary contain forward-looking statements that are based on our reasonable expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. All indices are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment by the public. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The S&P 500 is based on the average performance of the 500 industrial stocks monitored by Standard & Poor’s. The Nasdaq Composite Index measures the performance of all issues listed in the Nasdaq Stock Market, except for rights, warrants, units, and convertible debentures. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is computed by summing the prices of the stocks of 30 large companies and then dividing that total by an adjusted value, one which has been adjusted over the years to account for the effects of stock splits on the prices of the 30 companies. Dividends are reinvested to reflect the actual performance of the underlying securities. The MSCI EAFE Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a market capitalization-weighted index composed of companies representative of the market structure of 26 emerging market countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific Basin. The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted performance benchmark for investment-grade fixed-rate debt issues, including government, corporate, asset-backed, and mortgage-backed securities with maturities of at least one year. The U.S. Treasury Index is based on the auctions of U.S. Treasury bills, or on the U.S. Treasury’s daily yield curve. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted index of 15- and 30-year fixed-rate securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), and balloon mortgages with fixed-rate coupons. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Municipal Index includes investment-grade, tax-exempt, and fixed-rate bonds with long-term maturities (greater than 2 years) selected from issues larger than $50 million.

Mark Gallagher is a financial advisor located at Gallagher Financial Services at 2586 East 7th Ave. Suite #304, North Saint Paul, MN 55109. He offers securities and advisory services as an Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. He can be reached at 651-774-8759 or at mark@markgallagher.com.

Authored by the Investment Research team at Commonwealth Financial Network.

© 2019 Commonwealth Financial Network®

Presented by Mark Gallagher

General market news
• After several weeks of rates moving lower across the curve—with the 10-year U.S. Treasury reaching a low of 2.54 percent a little more than a week ago—rates were back up last week. The 10-year opened at 2.68 percent early Monday, while the 30-year opened just above 3 percent and the 2-year opened at 2.52 percent. Some parts of the curve remain inverted and, in some cases, are slightly deeper than in weeks past. Once the inversion process begins, the curve typically becomes fully inverted within months, which has historically indicated oncoming recessions.
• The three major U.S. markets all finished the week higher, as Chinese economic stimulus and stronger-than-expected employment data eased fears of a deceleration in global growth. After extending talks for an additional day, Chinese and U.S. negotiators came away with positive sentiment following their discussions.
• The top-performing sectors were industrials, REITs, consumer discretionary, and technology. These cyclical sectors continued their rebound from December’s sell-off as trade talks and strong employment sparked an uptick in investor confidence.
• Last week saw the release of a handful of important economic updates; however, the ongoing government shutdown has delayed some data releases. On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management Nonmanufacturing index declined to 57.6, down from the previous reading of 60.7.
• On Friday, the Consumer Price Index showed annual consumer inflation of 1.9 percent, which is down from the previous level of 2.2 percent. Inflation at these levels is largely in line with Federal Reserve (Fed) targets.

Source: Bloomberg

Source: Morningstar Direct

What to look forward to
This week’s data starts with prices and whether inflation is picking up. On Tuesday, the producer prices report will be released. The headline index, which includes energy and food, is expected to drop by 0.1 percent for December, down from a 0.1-percent increase in November, on declines in gasoline and commodity prices. The annual change is expected to stay steady at 2.5 percent, on base effects, indicating that longer-term inflation pressures remain elevated above the Fed’s target range but may be moderating. The core index, which excludes energy and food, is also expected to show slower growth, at 0.2 percent for December, down from 0.3 percent for November. Here, the annual figure is expected to rise from 2.7 percent to 3 percent, also on base effects. This increase will keep some pressure on the Fed to raise rates.

Also on Tuesday, the retail sales report is due, but it will not be released until the end of the federal government shutdown. If it is released, it is expected to show faster growth, rising from 0.2 percent in November to 0.3 percent in December. Core retail sales, which exclude autos, are expected to be steady, with December growth of 0.2 percent. There may be some downside risk to these numbers, with the fading of the tax cut boost and recent turbulence in the financial markets.

The National Association of Home Builders survey will also be released on Tuesday. It is expected to bounce back slightly, rising from 56 in December to 57 for January, after a large drop over previous months. On Thursday, the housing starts report will be released if the government reopens. It is expected to drop slightly, from 1.256 million to 1.253 million annualized, although the survey results and building permit data suggest the final result might be better than expected. Overall, these figures would suggest the housing slowdown may be moderating if they come in as expected.

On Friday, the industrial production report is expected to pull back from a surprise gain of 0.6 percent for November to a still healthy gain of 0.3 percent for December. There may be some downside risk here, on a weather-related decrease in utility production. Manufacturing is expected to do well, with growth rising from flat in November to growth of 0.3 percent for December. There may be some downside risk here, as surveys have weakened recently.

Finally, the University of Michigan consumer confidence survey, also released on Friday, is expected to show confidence pulling back further from 98.3 for December to 96.4 for January. This would remain a high level, historically, and suggests that consumers are not significantly worried about the recent stock market turbulence or the trade war, given the continued strong labor market and decline in gas prices. This level should continue to support consumer spending and economic growth.

Disclosures: Certain sections of this commentary contain forward-looking statements that are based on our reasonable expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. All indices are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment by the public. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The S&P 500 is based on the average performance of the 500 industrial stocks monitored by Standard & Poor’s. The Nasdaq Composite Index measures the performance of all issues listed in the Nasdaq Stock Market, except for rights, warrants, units, and convertible debentures. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is computed by summing the prices of the stocks of 30 large companies and then dividing that total by an adjusted value, one which has been adjusted over the years to account for the effects of stock splits on the prices of the 30 companies. Dividends are reinvested to reflect the actual performance of the underlying securities. The MSCI EAFE Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a market capitalization-weighted index composed of companies representative of the market structure of 26 emerging market countries in Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific Basin. The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000® Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted performance benchmark for investment-grade fixed-rate debt issues, including government, corporate, asset-backed, and mortgage-backed securities with maturities of at least one year. The U.S. Treasury Index is based on the auctions of U.S. Treasury bills, or on the U.S. Treasury’s daily yield curve. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) Index is an unmanaged market value-weighted index of 15- and 30-year fixed-rate securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), and balloon mortgages with fixed-rate coupons. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Municipal Index includes investment-grade, tax-exempt, and fixed-rate bonds with long-term maturities (greater than 2 years) selected from issues larger than $50 million.

Mark Gallagher is a financial advisor located at Gallagher Financial Services at 2586 East 7th Ave. Suite #304, North Saint Paul, MN 55109. He offers securities and advisory services as an Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. He can be reached at 651-774-8759 or at mark@markgallagher.com.

Authored by the Investment Research team at Commonwealth Financial Network.

© 2019 Commonwealth Financial Network®