Fiscal tightening won’t cause a recession in 2013, says Michael Darda, chief economist and chief market strategist at MKM Partners. The latest unemployment benefit claims number fell to a five-year low and is a leading indicator for the labor market. Housing starts are strong though they are at a low level. The upswing is gaining momentum indicating some firming rather …
Equities Rally On Economic Data; Europe Rises On Retailer Boost
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities advanced today, sending the S&P 500 to its highest level since December 2007 as better-than-forecast housing data and initial jobless claims offset mixed corporate results. The boost came after the Commerce Department reported a sharp rise in the number of new homes being built in December. Housing starts vaulted 12.1 percent last month, the …
Indexes Are A Mixed Bag As Boeing Weighs On Blue-Chips; Europe Struggles On Growth Worries
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities closed mixed as investors remained worried about the debt ceiling negotiations and global economic growth while a rebound for Apple Inc buoyed the technology sector. In economic news, the World Bank sharply cut its global growth forecast for this year citing austerity measures, low business confidence and high unemployment in advanced economies. The bank …
Early Sell Off Followed By Higher Close On Mixed Economic Data; Europe Ends Unchanged
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US stocks fought back, rebounding from earlier losses Tuesday as a rally in retail and transportation shares eclipsed concerns about discussions on raising the debt ceiling in Washington, while further weakness for Apple weighed on the technology sector. On the economic news front, reports showed US retail sales rose 0.5 percent in December, led by an …
Dell Rally Is Offset By Apple Slide In The US; Europe Declines For A Third Day On Data
[Chart courtesy of MarketWatch.com] US equities closed mixed Monday, with two of the three benchmark indexes slipping into negative territory as Apple Inc’s near four percent drop amid concern about iPhone sales offset a rally in Dell Inc. Apple, the most valuable company, sank 3.6 percent that wiped out $17 billion in investor wealth after the Wall Street Journal and …
One Man’s Opinion: Do US Banks Still Pose A Systemic Risk To The Economy?
Legendary investor Warren Buffet thinks US banks are out of the woods. In a recent interview with the Bloomberg, Buffet said he guarantees US banks will not get the country in trouble as capital ratios are huge and the excesses on the asset side has been largely cleared out. Neil Barofsky, a former inspector for the Treasury’s Troubled Assets Relief …