PEEK OF THE WEEK
May 1, 2017
Leif Hagen & Donna Roberts
The Markets
It was a
good week to own stocks.
Not all financial news was good
news last week, but that didn’t prevent U.S. stock markets from moving higher. Barron’s reported on the good news:
“This past week, welcome political
news from Europe, a batch of stellar corporate-earnings reports, and a concrete
tax proposal to cut corporate and some personal rates sharply gave the bull
even more reasons to rally. By Friday’s close, the Dow Jones industrials and
other market measures were standing near all-time highs.”
Overall, corporate earnings were
quite strong during the first quarter of 2017, according to FactSet. With 58 percent of the
companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index reporting in, earnings are
showing double-digit growth for the first time since 2011.
That’s
exhilarating news for investors.
Economists had less to
celebrate. The Commerce Department’s
first estimate indicated the U.S. economy got off to a slow start during 2017.
Gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the value of all goods and services
produced, came in below expectations and grew at the slowest rate in three
years. Bloomberg reported:
“The GDP slowdown owes partly to
transitory forces such as warm weather and volatility in inventories, which
supports forecasts for a rebound as high confidence among companies and
consumers and a solid job market underpin growth. Even so, the weakness at car
dealers could weigh on expansion, and further gains in business investment
could depend on the extent of policy support such as tax cuts.”
Keep an eye on Congress and the
Federal Reserve. Changing fiscal and monetary policies are expected to have a
significant influence on markets and the economy.
Data as of 4/28/17
|
1-Week
|
Y-T-D
|
1-Year
|
3-Year
|
5-Year
|
10-Year
|
|
Standard & Poor's 500
(Domestic Stocks)
|
1.5%
|
6.5%
|
14.9%
|
8.5%
|
11.3%
|
4.9%
|
|
Dow Jones Global ex-U.S.
|
2.3
|
9.5
|
9.6
|
-0.7
|
3.1
|
-1.1
|
|
10-year Treasury Note (Yield
Only)
|
2.3
|
NA
|
1.8
|
2.7
|
1.9
|
4.6
|
|
Gold (per ounce)
|
-1.2
|
9.3
|
0.8
|
-0.8
|
-5.2
|
6.5
|
|
Bloomberg Commodity Index
|
0.1
|
-4.0
|
-1.8
|
-15.4
|
-9.9
|
-7.0
|
|
DJ Equity All REIT Total
Return Index
|
-2.3
|
3.0
|
6.8
|
9.8
|
9.8
|
5.0
|
S&P 500, Dow Jones Global ex-US, Gold, Bloomberg
Commodity Index returns exclude reinvested dividends (gold does not pay a
dividend) and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; the DJ
Equity All REIT Total Return Index does include reinvested dividends and the
three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; and the 10-year Treasury
Note is simply the yield at the close of the day on each of the historical time
periods.
Sources: Yahoo! Finance, Barron’s, djindexes.com,
London Bullion Market Association.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. N/A means not
applicable.
what did you say? If you find yourself
tuning-out in loud restaurants, asking people to repeat themselves frequently,
or cupping an ear in an effort to better understand what a friend or colleague
is saying, then you may be interested to learn that hearing loss is one of the
most prevalent health issues for older Americans. It ranks third, right behind
arthritis and heart disease, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).
Hearing loss isn’t just an issue
for older Americans, though. Twenty percent of American teenagers experience
hearing loss, and it’s a significant issue for combat soldiers and veterans. The Washington Post reported:
“A study by the Journal of General Internal Medicine,
which covered over 90,000 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq seeking VA care from
fiscal 2006-2007, may serve as a general guide. Among male veterans seeking VA
care, 16.4 percent to 26.6 percent suffer from serious hearing loss and
tinnitus, and 7.3 percent to 13.4 percent of female veterans are affected. How
much of this is combat-related or due to environmental factors such as
background noise, training, and even medication is unknown.”
Remarkably, many people ignore
their hearing loss. Just 16 percent of Americans (age 69 or younger) with
hearing issues use hearing devices. It’s a decision that can have serious consequences
since studies have linked hearing loss and cognitive decline, reported NPR.
A new generation of hearing
devices, called personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), may help reduce
the stigma attached to wearing hearing aids. They’re designed to look like
stylish fashion accessories or ear buds, and they’re controlled with smartphone
apps.
The real selling point may prove
to be that PSAPs are far less expensive than traditional hearing aids.
Weekly
Focus – Think About It
“Most of the successful people
I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”
--Bernard Baruch, American financier and statesman
Best Regards,
Leif M. Hagen
Leif M. Hagen, CLU, ChFC
LP Financial Advisor
Securities offered through LPL Financial Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.
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* This newsletter was
prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. Peak Advisor Alliance is not affiliated with
the named broker/dealer.
* The Standard & Poor's
500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be
representative of the stock
market in general. You cannot invest directly in this index.
* The Standard & Poor’s
500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged index. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect
fees,
expenses, or sales charges.
Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment.
* The 10-year Treasury Note
represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the
U.S.
Government is seen as a
risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for
the long-term bond market.
* Gold represents the
afternoon gold price as reported by the London Bullion Market Association.
The gold price is set twice
daily by the London Gold Fixing Company at 10:30 and 15:00 and is expressed in
U.S. dollars per fine troy ounce.
* The Bloomberg Commodity
Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the
commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19
physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998.
* The DJ Equity All REIT
Total Return Index measures the total return performance of the equity
subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated
by Dow Jones.
* Yahoo! Finance is the
source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific
periods.
* Opinions expressed are
subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or
to predict future performance.
* Economic forecasts set
forth may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies
promoted will be successful.
* Past performance does not
guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.
* You cannot invest directly
in an index.
* Consult your financial
professional before making any investment decision.
* Stock investing involves
risk including loss of principal.
* To unsubscribe from the
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Sources:
http://www.barrons.com/articles/poll-top-money-managers-favor-tech-finance-1493438722 (or go to https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/peakcontent/+Peak+Commentary/05-01-17_Barrons-Poll-Top_Money_Managers_Favor_Tech_Finance-Footnote_1.pdf)
https://insight.factset.com/hubfs/Resources/Research%20Desk/Earnings%20Insight/EarningsInsight_042817.pdf (Pages 1-2)
n financier and statesman
