The latest numbers on the U.S. economy are out and the news is mixed. Doug Short reports on the up and downside of the latest Leading Economic Index. If slowing growth in the U.S. economy is dampening the gains for some stocks, it’s benefiting others. Russ Koesterich of BlackRock, the world’s largest money management firm, offers analysis on the markets. For those investors who remember and miss the program Wall Street Week, there’s good news. It’s been re-launched and can now also be viewed online. If you missed the first episode this past Sunday the 19th, there’s a link to let you watch it now.
Conference Board Leading Economic Index Remains In Growth Territory– “Although the Leading Economic Index still points to a moderate expansion in economic activity, its slowing growth rate over recent months suggests weaker growth may be ahead,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The Conference Board. “Building permits was the weakest component this month, but average working hours and manufacturing new orders have also slowed the LEI’s growth over the last six months.” In the six-month period ending March 2015, the Leading Economic Index increased 1.8 percent (about a 3.7 percent annual rate), much slower than the growth of 3.3 percent (about a 6.7 percent annual rate) during the previous six months. However, the strengths among the leading indicators have remained more widespread than the weaknesses. Read more…
QE: The Silver Lining Of Slower Growth– Stocks struggled last week amid further evidence that economic growth is not accelerating as expected. Renewed worries over the future of Greece also contributed to last week’s market action. Sluggish global growth represents the nagging headwind for stocks, particularly in the United States where expectations remain high. However, as has been the case for most of the past six years, slow growth and the monetary stimulus intended to combat it are benefiting some markets—and hurting others. Russ Koesterich of BlackRock, the world’s largest money management firm, reviews what happened last week in the markets. Read more…
Re-booted Wall Street Week Launched Sunday April 19, 2015– For 31 years Louis Rukeyser hosted Wall Street Week on PBS. Many of you watched this show every Friday night. Now the show is returning on Sunday morning. You can watch live or view replays at www.wallstreetweek.com. This week the guests were Jeffery Gundlach of Doubleline, Liz Ann Sonders of Charles Schwab and Jonathan Beinner of Goldman Sachs. Read more…
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