Summary Of the Markets Today:
- The Dow closed down 764 points or 2.25%,
- Nasdaq closed down 3.23%,
- S&P 500 down 2.49%,
- WTI crude oil settled at $76 down $1.16,
- USD $104.60 up $0.83,
- Gold $1787 down $31.60,
- Bitcoin $17,428 down $394 – Session Low 17,351,
- 10-year U.S. Treasury 3.45% down 0.053%
*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing.
Today’s Economic Releases:
The Philadephia Fed’s manufacturing index remained negative in December 2022 but rose 6 points to -13.8 this month (see Chart 1). This is its fourth consecutive negative reading and sixth negative reading in the past seven months. Thirty-one percent of the firms reported declines in activity, while 17 percent reported increases. The majority (51 percent) reported no change.
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Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for November 2022 are up 6.5% above November 2021 – however, inflation-adjusted growth declined 0.7% year-over-year which suggests a modest decline in economic growth.
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The combined value of manufacturers’ and trade sales (business sales) for October 2022 was up 10.1% from October 2021. Manufacturers and trade inventories (business inventories) for October were up 16.5% from October 2021. The total business inventories/sales ratio was 1.33 (blue line on the graph below) – The October 2021 ratio was 1.25. A growing ratio suggests a slowing economy.
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Industrial production declined to 2.5% year-over-year (blue line in the graph below) in November 2022. Year-over-year for the components: manufacturing (declined to 1.0% – red line in the graph below), mining (declined to 3.6% – orange line in the graph below), utilities (increased to 2.6% – green line in the graph below). Capacity utilization moved down 0.2 percentage points in November to 79.7 percent, a rate that is 0.1 percentage points above its long-run (1972–2021) average.
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Business activity declined in New York State, according to firms responding to the December 2022 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index fell sixteen points to -11.2. New orders moved slightly lower, while shipments edged higher.
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In the week ending December 10, the unemployment insurance initial claims 4-week moving average was 227,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 230,000 to 230,250.
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A summary of headlines we are reading today:
- Sydney Based Researchers Announce Lithium Ion Battery Rival
- Germany Greenlights Purchase Of U.S. Fighter Jets
- FuboTV hit with cyberattack during World Cup semifinal match
- Long Covid medical costs average $9,500 in the first six months, as patients become ‘health-system wanderers’
- Where Walmart CEO Doug McMillon expects inflation to stick around in 2023
- Delta expects 2023 earnings to nearly double thanks to ‘robust’ travel demand
- Vote Recount Flips Massachusetts Midterm Race From Republican To Democrat By 1 Vote
- Bond Report: Flight-to-safety trade sends 10- and 30-year Treasury yields to one-week lows
- Market Snapshot: Dow down over 700 points in the final hour of trade as stocks head for the biggest decline in 3 months
These and other headlines and news summaries moving the markets today are included below.
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