Short Term and Intermediate-Term Weather Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted January 30, 2024

January 30, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the highlights from the NWS.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Tue Jan 30 2024
Valid 12Z Tue Jan 30 2024 – 12Z Thu Feb 01 2024

…Heavy snow over parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Wednesday…

…There is a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over parts of Northern/
Central California…

…Snow over parts of the Great Lakes/Central Appalachians into the
Northeast…
 

Looking out a bit farther and focusing on the more series events:

 

Looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. This evening we are looking at precipitation and the baseline here is such that it will tend to show warmer than baseline-normal precipitation due to the trend in temperatures.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report issued today.

29 Jan 2023 Market Close & Major Financial Headlines: New Historic Highs For The Dow And The S&P 500, Both Closing At Session Highs

January 29, 2024Posted inmarketsNo Comments

Summary Of the Markets Today:

  • The Dow closed up 224 points or 0.59%,
  • Nasdaq closed up 1.12%,
  • S&P 500 closed up 0.76%,
  • Gold $2,032 up $13.10,
  • WTI crude oil settled at $77 down $1.06,
  • 10-year U.S. Treasury 4.080% down 0.008 points,
  • USD index $103.50 up $0.06,
  • Bitcoin $43,090 up $1,135 (2.70%),

*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing.

Click here to read our current Economic Forecast – February 2024 Economic Forecast: Index Again Modestly Declined But Remains Well Above Levels Associated With Recession

Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:

Dallas Fed Manufacturing activity contracted in January 2023 after stabilizing in December, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, dropped 17 points to -15.4—its lowest reading since mid-2020. Manufacturing remains in a recession in the U.S. – and most Fed regional surveys show contraction in January.

Here is a summary of headlines we are reading today:

  • New Sanctions on Venezuela Oil Likely As Maduro Bans Opposition
  • Russia Throws Caution to the Wind to Boost Oil Exports
  • U.S. Prices At the Pump Climb After Cold Spell Shutdowns
  • Shale Boom Fuels Third Year of Record U.S. Gas Output
  • Spending on Natural Gas to Top $1 Trillion Over the Next Decade
  • etail return fraud is rising as key holiday deadline approaches
  • S&P 500 rises to close at fresh record Monday as Big Tech earnings loom: Live updates
  • Reed Hastings sells $1.1 billion in Netflix shares
  • Bitcoin reclaims $43,000 as the cryptocurrency extends recent gains: CNBC Crypto World
  • The 15 most expensive U.S. neighborhoods per square foot—No. 1 is 2,000% higher than average
  • Ryanair cuts profit forecast after online travel agent row
  • Dow scores 6th record close of 2024, bolstered by Treasury funding update in pivotal week for markets

Click on the “Read More” below to access these, other headlines, and the associated news summaries moving the markets today.

February 2024 Economic Forecast: Index Again Modestly Declined But Remains Well Above Levels Associated With Recession

January 29, 2024Posted inUncategorizedNo Comments

Authored by Steven Hansen

EconCurrent‘s Economic Index again declined and continues slightly in negative territory. Being slightly in negative territory is not necessarily indicative of a recession, and we continue to believe a recession is not imminent. There remain four major indicators signaling a recession.  Read on to understand the currents affecting our economic growth.

Short Term and Intermediate-Term Weather Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the highlights from the NWS.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Mon Jan 29 2024
Valid 12Z Mon Jan 29 2024 – 12Z Wed Jan 31 2024

…Light snow over parts of the Great Lakes and the Central Appalachians…

…Light rain over parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern
California…

…Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above average over parts of the
Northern/Central Plains into the Upper Midwest…

Looking out a bit farther and focusing on the more series events:

 

Looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. This evening we are looking at precipitation and the baseline here is such that it will tend to show warmer than baseline-normal precipitation due to the trend in temperatures.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report issued today.

Short Term and Intermediate-Term Weather Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the highlights from the NWS.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Sun Jan 28 2024
Valid 12Z Sun Jan 28 2024 – 12Z Tue Jan 30 2024

…Heavy snow over parts of the Northeast and snow over parts of the
Appalachians on Sunday…

…Scattered rain/freezing rain over parts of eastern New York State into
Southern New England…

…Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees above average over parts of
Northern/Central High Plains…

Looking out a bit farther and focusing on the more series events:

 

Looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. This evening we are looking at precipitation and the baseline here is such that it will tend to show warmer than baseline-normal precipitation due to the trend in temperatures.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report issued today.

Drought Update – January 27, 2024

January 27, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

Every week on Thursday, the Drought Monitor LINK is updated for every state in the U.S. plus most territories.

 

 

 

 

And there is another source of information on drought from certain groupings of states that operate what is called a Drought Early Warming System (DEWS). They sometimes have webinars and may issue reports without having a webinar. Not all parts of the U.S. are covered. These groups of states seem to issue reports every two months. I am only showing the recent reports since a month-old report at this time of the year can be misleading.

To get to that part of this article where I provide these reports you may have to click on “Read More”. I provide maps for all of the existing DEWS.  And other groups of states report on precipitation, streamflow, and reservoir status which overlaps a lot with what is covered by the DEWS. So I plan to write about the activity of both kinds of groups. Today I am focusing on the DEWS.

Short Term and Intermediate-Term Weather Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted January 27, 2024

January 27, 2024Posted inweatherNo Comments

This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.

First the highlights from the NWS.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Sat Jan 27 2024
Valid 12Z Sat Jan 27 2024 – 12Z Mon Jan 29 2024

…Heavy snow and rain/freezing rain over parts of Northern New England
and snow over parts of the Appalachians on Sunday…

…There is a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over parts of the
Central/Southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic on Saturday…

…There is a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the
Southeast on Saturday…

Looking out a bit farther and focusing on the more series events:

 

Looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. This evening we are looking at precipitation and the baseline here is such that it will tend to show warmer than baseline-normal precipitation due to the trend in temperatures.

Please click on “Read More” below to access the full report issued today.

26Jan2024 Market Close & Major Financial Headlines: Markets Little Changed To End the Week

January 26, 2024Posted inmarketsNo Comments

Summary Of the Markets Today:

  • The Dow closed up 60 points or 0.16%,
  • Nasdaq closed down 0.36%,
  • S&P 500 closed down 0.07%,
  • Gold $2018 up $1.00,
  • WTI crude oil settled at $78 up $0.63,
  • 10-year U.S. Treasury 4.145% up 0.013 points,
  • USD index $101.46 down $0.13,
  • Bitcoin $41,900 up $1,954,
  • Baker Hughes rig count up 1 to 621

Click here to read our current Economic Forecast – January 2024 Economic Forecast: Our Index Turns Slightly Negative

Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:

Real personal income (PCE) grew 4.2% year-over-year in December 2023 – down from 4.4% the previous month. Real personal consumption expenditures improved to 3.2% year-over-year from 2.99% last month. The PCE price index was little changed at 2.6% year-over-year.  Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index was 2.9% year-over-year. These are relatively good numbers.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings – increased to 77.3 in December. Year over year, pending transactions were up 1.3%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist stated:

The housing market is off to a good start this year, as consumers benefit from falling mortgage rates and stable home prices. Job additions and income growth will further help with housing affordability, but increased supply will be essential to satisfying all potential demand.

Here is a summary of headlines we are reading today:

  • US Oil, Gas Drillers Add 1 More Rig As Production Plummets
  • China’s Record Solar Additions in 2023 Top Entire U.S. Solar Capacity
  • Oil Tanker and Container Shipping Rates Hit Record Highs
  • Russia Sees Alternative Gas Routes if Ukraine Transit Deal Isn’t Extended
  • Biden Administration Halts Approvals of New LNG Export Projects
  • Rising Electricity Demand Will Keep Fossil Fuels Around
  • Tech layoffs balloon in January as Wall Street rally lifts Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft to records
  • Crypto prices effort a comeback as bitcoin soars 5% to close out the week: CNBC Crypto World
  • Microsoft Teams suffers outage affecting thousands, sparking user frustration

Click on the “Read More” below to access these, other headlines, and the associated news summaries moving the markets today.

26 Jan 2023 Market Close & Major Financial Headlines: Bull Run Continued This Morning As The S&P 500 and The Dow Marked New Historic Highs But Fell To Close Mixed

January 26, 2024Posted inmarketsNo Comments

Summary Of the Markets Today:

  • The Dow closed up 60 points or 0.16%,
  • Nasdaq closed down 0.36%,
  • S&P 500 closed down 0.07%,
  • Gold $2,018 up $0.60,
  • WTI crude oil settled at $78 up $0.81,
  • 10-year U.S. Treasury 4.143% up 0.011 points,
  • USD index $103.45 down $0.12,
  • Bitcoin $41,933 up $2,241 (5.65%),
  • Baker Hughes Rig Count: U.S. +1 to 621 Canada +7 to 230

*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing.

Click here to read our current Economic Forecast – January 2024 Economic Forecast: Our Index Turns Slightly Negative

Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:

xxxxxx

Here is a summary of headlines we are reading today:

  • Shell To Convert German Refinery To Base Oil Manufacturing
  • US Oil, Gas Drillers Add 1 More Rig As Production Plummets
  • China’s Record Solar Additions in 2023 Top Entire U.S. Solar Capacity
  • Strong Economic Data Boosts Bullish Sentiment in Oil Markets
  • Rising Electricity Demand Will Keep Fossil Fuels Around
  • What to Expect From Big Oil This Earnings Season
  • Tech layoffs balloon in January as Wall Street rally lifts Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft to records
  • Fed’s favorite inflation gauge rose 0.2% in December and was up 2.9% from a year ago
  • Wall Street is barreling toward a big week ahead with megacap earnings, Fed meeting in focus
  • Crypto prices effort a comeback as bitcoin soars 5% to close out the week: CNBC Crypto World
  • Here are some important items for taxpayers to consider before filing their 2023 tax return
  • Long-term Treasury yields end higher for 2nd straight week despite mild PCE inflation data

Click on the “Read More” below to access these, other headlines, and the associated news summaries moving the markets today.