Money Talk Podcast

Money Talk Podcast

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Money Talk Podcast episodes

  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday April 21, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  April edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Art Rothschild
    Dave Sandstrom
    (with Max Hoelzl, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
     
     
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 12072, down 51 points or 0.4%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 4134, down 4 points or 0.1%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 33809, down 77 points or 0.2%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.57%, up 0.05 point
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    18 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday April 14, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  April edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    KYLE TETTING
    ADAM BALEY
    DAVE SANDSTROM
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (April 10-14, 2023)
    SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS & REPORTS
    Monday
    No major announcements
    Tuesday
    No major announcements
    Wednesday
    Overall inflation kept slowing in March, reaching a 5% year-to-year rate, falling from as high as 9% in June. The Consumer Price Index, the broadest measure of inflation, remained above the Federal Reserve’s long-range target of 2%, but it was the lowest 12-month rate since May 2021. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said shelter costs accounted for the bulk of a 0.1% CPI increase from February. Grocery prices dropped for the first time since September 2020, and gasoline receded nearly 5%. Excluding prices for volatile food and energy products, the core CPI rose 0.4% from February. The core rate rose to 5.6% from the year before, up from 5.5% in February.
    Thursday
    Inflation on the wholesale level sank 0.5% in March with the Producer Price Index declining for the second time in four months. Lower prices on goods – particularly gasoline - accounted for two-thirds of the drop in the index, but services also cost less overall. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the index rose 2.7% from March 2022, the lowest 12-month gain since the beginning of 2021 and down from 11.6% in March 2022. The core Producer Price Index – which excluded volatile prices for energy, food and trade services – rose 0.1% from February, the lowest since May 2020.
    The four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims rose for the ninth time in 10 weeks, reaching nearly the highest level since November 2021. Claims averaged 240,000 in the most recent reading from the Labor Department, down 35% from the average level dating back to 1967. Altogether, 1.9 million Americans claimed jobless benefits in the most recent week, down 1.7% from the week before but up from 1.7 million at the same time last year.
    Friday
    Lower gas prices helped fuel a 1% decline in retail sales in March, the fourth drop in five months. Of 13 categories, gas stations were among eight where sales fell in March. Lower prices meant gas stations took in less revenue than the month before. Other retailers with declining sales included home-and-garden centers, appliance stores and car dealerships. The Commerce Department reported total retail sales rose 2.9% from March 2022, with five categories reporting declines. Since February 2020, just before the COVID pandemic, retail sales have risen 31%; they’re up 13% after adjusting for inflation.
    The Federal Reserve said a return to more seasonal weather in March accounted for a 0.4% rise in industrial production, the third consecutive increase. Output from utilities rose 8.4% after an unseasonably warm February. Production for mining operations and manufacturers declined in March. Manufacturing shrank in particular in building supplies, business equipment and durable consumer goods. Overall industrial production rose at a 0.2% annual pace through the first three months of 2023. Capacity utilization, a measure of potential inflation, ticked above its long-term average for the first  time since December. Manufacturing and utilities were below their long-term levels while mining remained above normal.
    A preliminary April reading of consumer sentiment suggested Americans are marginally more optimistic about the future, though they still worry about inflation. The survey-based index from the University of Michigan was up 27% from its all-time low in June but about 3% below where it was a year ago. An economist with the study said respondents acknowledged a recent slowing in the rate of price increases, but they raised their expectations of inflation a year from now to 4.6%, up from 3.6% in March. Consumers’ longer-range inflation forecast stayed around 3%.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 12123, up 35 points or 0.3%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 4138, up 33 points or 0.8%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 33886, up 401 points or 1.2%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.52%, up 0.23 point
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    24 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday April 7, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  April edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Adam Baley
    Dave Sandstrom
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (April 3-7, 2023)
    SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS & REPORTS
    Monday
    U.S. factories remained in a slump in March, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The trade group said its manufacturing index suggested the sector contracted for the fifth month in a row, hitting its lowest reading since May 2020, amid the COVID pandemic lockdown. Based on past trends, the ISM said, the index suggested the gross domestic product sank in March at an annual rate of 0.9%.
    The Commerce Department said construction spending declined by 0.1% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate exceeding $1.8 billion. The pace was 5% ahead of the year before. Spending on residential construction, which accounts for nearly half of the total, fell by 0.6% from January and was down more than 5% from February 2022. Economists have blamed higher mortgage rates for dampening demand in housing.
    Tuesday
    Employers posted fewer job openings in February, but the labor market remained relatively tight. Postings dropped to 9.9 million, the lowest since May 2021, after reaching a record 12 million openings last March. Still, job openings outnumbered the 7 million just before the COVID pandemic and was 4 million more than the number of unemployed job seekers in February. Other signs of a stronger employment market: Layoffs and firings fell slightly, and slightly more people quit their jobs, a sign of worker confidence.
    The Commerce Department reported a 0.7% decline in manufacturing orders in February, the third setback in four months. Demand for aircraft led the declines. Excluding the volatile transportation category, factory orders fell 0.3% from January. Compared to February 2022, total orders were up 3% and up 3.1% excluding transportation. Core capital goods orders, a proxy for business investments, fell 0.1% for the month and were up 4.3% from the year before.
    Wednesday
    The U.S. services sector expanded in March, though at a slower rate, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The trade group’s services index indicated the third month in a row of growth. Except for a setback in December, the service sector has expanded in 33 of the last 34 months. Based on surveys with purchasing managers, the index showed orders for services cooling while hiring conditions were mixed and supplier deliveries remained at the swiftest pace in 14 years. Overall, survey respondents expressed optimism about current business conditions.
    The U.S. trade deficit in February grew to its widest gap in four months as exports shrank more than imports. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said the deficit expanded nearly 3% to $70.5 billion. A 2.7% decline in exports was led by lower demand abroad for U.S.-produced pharmaceuticals, industrial supplies and cars. Imports fell 1.5%, led by cell phones, cars and trucks. The trade deficit detracts from economic growth, as measured by gross domestic product.
    Thursday
    After the Labor Department updated calculation methods to better reflect seasonal fluctuations, the four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims fell for the first time in nine weeks. Average claims reached 237,750 in the week ended April 1, up 11% from the year before and down 35% from the 56-year average. Total claims fell less than 1% in the latest week to 1.9 million, up from 1.7 million at the same time last year.
    Friday
    U.S. employers continued to add jobs in March but at the slowest pace in more than two years. The jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 236,000 more jobs in March, down from the six-month average of 334,000 and the lowest since a decline in December 2020. The payroll count rose 2.2% above its level in February 2020, just before the COVID pandemic. The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for 30% of the gain in March, although making up less than 10% of total U.S. employment. Average hourly wages rose 4.2% from the year before, the smallest gain since June 2021. The unemployment rate was 3.5%, down from 3.6% in February. Unemployment has been hovering near 54-year lows since early last year.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 12088, down 134 points or 1.1%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 4105, down 4 points or 0.1%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 33485, up 211 points or  0.6%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.29%, down 0.21 point
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    18 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday March 31, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  April edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Tom Pappenfus
    Kendall Bauer
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Reuben Neese)
    Week in Review (March 27-31, 2023)
    Significant Economic Indicators & Reports
    Monday
    No major releases
    Tuesday
    The annual gain in housing prices slipped to 3.8% in January, the 10th consecutive deceleration since cresting at a record 20.8% last March, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index. An analyst with the longstanding report said higher mortgage rates and a weaker economy continued to soften housing market conditions and should remain as head winds to further lower prices.
    The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose in March on slightly improved expectations. But the business research group said expectations remained below a level that often signals economic recession within the next year. Expectations have been below that level 12 of the last 13 months. The survey-based index found less confidence in current economic conditions. Consumer expectations for near-term inflation suggested a dampening effect on spending.
    Wednesday
    Three months of data suggests the housing market is turning a corner, according to the National Association of Realtors. The trade group’s index on pending home sales rose 0.8% in February for a third consecutive increase. The Realtors said because figures for home sales, pending sales and contracts for new construction have risen three months in a row, “the housing sector’s contraction is coming to an end.” The group cited recent improvements in mortgage rates, which it said especially helped affordable housing markets in the Midwest and South. Compared to the year before, pending sales were down 21%.
    Thursday
    The U.S. economy rose at an annual pace of 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to a final estimate of the gross domestic product. The growth rate was down from 2.7% in the previous estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, mostly because the annual rate of consumer spending grew by 1%, instead of the earlier estimate of 1.4%. Adjusted for inflation, the economy advanced 5.1% from its pre-COVID peak at the end of 2019. The Federal Reserve’s favorite measure of inflation showed a 5.7% increase from the fourth quarter of 2021, down from 6.3% in the third quarter and 6.6% in the second quarter.
    The four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims rose for the first time in three weeks but was still 46% below the all-time rolling average for new claims. The Labor Department said 1.9 million Americans were claiming unemployment compensation in the latest week, down nearly 2% from the week before but up more than 7% from its level the year before, when special pandemic relief programs had expired.
    Friday
    By far the biggest driver of the U.S. economy, consumer spending rose 0.2% in February, slightly below the 0.3% gain in personal income. Adjusted for inflation, though, personal expenditures declined 0.1% in March, the third drop in four months, suggesting a slowing in the economy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis also reported the fifth consecutive increase in personal savings – both in amount and as a percent of disposable income. The Fed’s favorite inflation gauge showed a 5% increase from February 2022 – the lowest rate since September 2021. Inflation had risen to 7% in June, the highest in four decades. The Fed’s long-range target is 2%.
    Another sign of economic slowdown was the first setback in four months for consumer sentiment. The University of Michigan said its longstanding survey found consumers souring both on current conditions and future expectations. The sentiment index slipped to 62 from a reading of 67 in February. It stood at 59.4 the year before. A university economist said consumers are signaling they're expecting a recession. Consumer projections of near-term inflation were the lowest in nearly two years, and long-run expectations remained at 2.9% for the fourth month in a row.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 12222, up 398 points or 3.4%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 4109, up 138 points or 3.5%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 33273, up 1036 points or  3.2%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.50%, up 0.12 point
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    22 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, March 24, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  March edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Art Rothschild
    Adam Baley
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (March 20-24, 2023)
    SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS & REPORTS
    Monday
    No major announcements
    Tuesday
    The annual rate of existing home sales rose 14.5% to nearly 4.6 million in February, the first increase after 12 consecutive declines. Still, the pace was 23% slower than the year before, as higher mortgage rates have stifled activity. The National Association of Realtors said improved sales in February were most noticeable where mortgage rates and home prices softened and jobs were growing. Inventories remained near record lows, with only 2.6 months supply. The median sales price was $363,000, down 0.2% from the year before, the first time the year-to-year price fell in nearly 11 years.
    Wednesday
    The Federal Open Market Committee, the policy-making panel of the Federal Reserve Board, announced another 0.25 percentage point raise in the short-term fed funds rate. It was the ninth increase in the rate in the last year, raising it from nearly nothing to more than 4.5% in order to cool the overall economy and control inflation. The Fed reaffirmed its commitment to a long-range inflation rate of 2%. The broadly based Consumer Price Index reached 6% in February, having dropped from more than 9% in June. A word cloud of the Fed's statement emphasizes words used by their frequency.
    Thursday
    Labor market conditions showed continued strength, with the four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims remaining 47% below the 56-year average. The indicator of employers’ reluctance to let workers go fell for the second week in a row, according to the Labor Department. Total claims dropped 3% from the week before to 1.9 million, which was up 4% from the same time the year before.
    The Commerce Department said new home sales rose 1% in February from the January pace but were 19% behind where they were the year before. A joint announcement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported an annual sales rate of 640,000 new houses, marking the 10th month in a row below the pre-pandemic mark of 690,000. The median sales price rose to $438,200, a 2.5% increase from February 2022. The year-to-year median price declined in January for the first time since August 2020.
    Friday
    Demand for manufactured items showed overall resilience in February despite the third decline in durable goods orders in four months. Drops in orders for commercial aircraft and automotive products brought down the monthly headline figure from the Commerce Department, as total orders fell 1%. However, orders were unchanged from January when excluding volatile demand for transportation equipment. Compared to the year before, overall orders rose 2% while orders excluding transportation rose 1.9%. Orders for core capital goods, a proxy for business investments, increased for the second month in a row and were up 4.3% from February 2022.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 11824, up 193 points or 1.7%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 3963, up 47 points or 1.2%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 32231, up 369 points or  1.2%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.38%, down 0.02 point
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    19 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday March 17, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  March edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Steve Giles
    Kendall Bauer
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (March 13-17, 2023)
    SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS & REPORTS
    Monday
    No major announcements
    Tuesday
    The broadest measure of inflation continued narrowing in February but remained far above the 2% long-range target of the Federal Reserve. The Consumer Price Index rose 6% from February 2022, unadjusted for inflation. That was down from 6.4% in January and the lowest rate since September 2021. The annual rate decelerated for the eighth month in a row after exceeding 9% last June. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said shelter costs accounted for 70% of the monthly gain in the price index while higher food costs offset lower prices overall. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 5.5% from the year before, the lowest rate since December 2021.
    Wednesday
    Signs of moderation appeared in wholesale inflation numbers for February. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said its Producer Price Index sank 0.1% from January, the second contraction in three months. Prices for goods led the decline, but service costs also went down. Excluding food, energy and trade services, the core PPI rose 0.2% from January. Year to year, unadjusted for inflation, the headline PPI rose 4.6% in February, slowing for the eighth month in a row, down from 11.6% last March. The core PPI rose 4.4% from the year before, unchanged from January.
    U.S. consumer spending dipped in February, as retail sales fell 0.4%, according to the Commerce Department. That was down from a gain of 3.2% in January. Sales declined in eight of 13 retail categories, led by bars and restaurants, furniture stores, car dealers and gas stations. Adjusting for inflation, retail sales slipped by 0.8% in February, the third decline in four months. Economists watch retail sales for signs of consumer spending, which drives about two-thirds of the gross domestic product.
    Thursday
    The pace in housing starts rose 9.8% in February, though it was down 18% from the year earlier and 16% below the pace just before the pandemic. The Commerce Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that multi-family residences continued to outpace single-family structures. The disparity was particularly noticeable in the pace of housing under construction, where single-family units have been dropping for eight months straight. Though building permits were down from February 2022, they were ahead of the pre-pandemic level and close to their level in early 2007.
    The four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims fell for the first time in four weeks, reaching 47% below the 56-year average. Data from the Labor Department continued to suggest a tight job market in which employers are reluctant to let workers go. Some 2 million individuals were claiming jobless benefits in the latest week, up 4% from the week before and up 2% from the year before that.
    Friday
    U.S. industrial output was unchanged in February after a slight gain in January, its first expansion in four months. Total production declined 0.2% from the year before. The Federal Reserve reported that manufacturing production increased slightly for the second month in a row but was down 1% from February 2022. Capacity utilization—considered a leading indicator of inflation—also was unchanged from January and remained below the 50-year average for the fourth month in a row.
    Both current economic conditions and expectations scored lower in a preliminary March reading of consumer sentiment. The University of Michigan said its longstanding survey showed consumers downgrading the economy for the first time in four months–mostly among respondents who were young with low levels of education and income. Expectations for inflation edged down from recent months, but the survey director said sentiment should remain volatile.
    The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators dropped 0.3% in February, with only stock prices and building permits slightly offsetting negative or flat contributions from eight other components. The decline was the 11th in a row for the index, which fell 3.6% since August, vs. a 3% setback over the previous six months. The business research group said rising interest rates and tightening consumer spending are likely to send the economy into a recession “in the near term.”
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 11631, up 492 points or 4.4%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 3917, up 55 points or 1.4%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 31859, down 51 points or  0.2%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.40%, down 0.30 point
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    23 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday March 10, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  March edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Adam Baley
    Tom Pappenfus
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (March 6-10, 2023)
    SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS & REPORTS
    Monday
    A drop in commercial aircraft demand sent U.S. factory orders lower in January for the second time in three months. The Commerce Department said orders overall declined 1.6% from December and were 4.3% ahead of their level the year before. Excluding volatile orders for transportation equipment, demand rose 1.2% from the month before and was up 4.3% from January 2022. Core capital goods orders, a proxy for business investments, rose 0.8% for the month and 5.5% from the year before.
    Tuesday
    The Federal Reserve said credit card debt rose at an annual pace of 11.1% in January, far swifter than the overall 3.7% annualized increase in consumer debt outstanding. Measured year to year, credit card debt rose 15.6% from January 2022, the sixth month in a row to exceed 15%. Sustained use of credit cards suggests consumers continued spending at higher levels despite Fed interest rate increases aimed at weakening demand to help lower decades-high inflation.
    Wednesday
    The U.S. trade deficit widened by 1.6% to $68.3 billion in January, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported. During the month, exports rose by 3.4%, led by pharmaceuticals and autos, offset by a decline in service exports such as travel. Meanwhile, imports rose 3% from December, driven by automotive goods, cell phones and travel services. Compared to January 2022, the trade gap narrowed by 22% as exports rose 13% and imports grew 3.5%. Economists consider trade deficits a detraction from overall economic growth.
    U.S. employers posted 10.8 million job openings in January, down from an upwardly revised 11.2 million in December. Demand for workers continued to outstrip supply as the number of unemployed workers seeking work in January reached 5.7 million, according to earlier reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The biggest declines in job postings in January were at construction companies, hotels and restaurants, and financial and insurance companies. The number and rate of layoffs increased, while quits – a measure of worker confidence – declined.
    Thursday
    The Labor Department reported the four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims rose for the fourth week in a row, though it remained 46% below its average since 1967. Total claims for the latest week declined 2% from the week before to 1.9 million. That was just above the mark from the year before and down from 20.8 million at the same time in 2021.
    Friday
    Employers added 311,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate edged up from its lowest level since 1969. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report, combining payroll data and household surveys, showed the robust pace of hiring slowing from the six-month average of 336,000 jobs per month and the 12-month average of 362,000. The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for about a third of the jobs gain in February but remained more than 400,000 (2%) behind its level just before the pandemic. Overall payrolls were up 3 million jobs (2%) from February 2020. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose to 3.6% from 3.4% in January with a rise in the number of workers losing jobs or completing temporary positions.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 11139, down 550 points or 4.7%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 3862, down 184 points or 4.5%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 31910, down 1481 points or  4.4%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.70%, down 0.27 point
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    23 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday March 3, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  March edition now available.
    Advisors on This Week’s Show
    Kyle Tetting
    Steve Giles
    Dave Sandstrom
    (with Max Hoelzl, Joel Dresang, engineered by Jason Scuglik)
    Week in Review (Feb. 27-March 3, 2023)
    Significant Economic Indicators & Reports
    Monday
    The Commerce Department said durable goods orders fell 4.5% in January. A drop in commercial aircraft orders accounted for the bulk of the decline, which was the biggest setback since April 2020. Excluding the volatile transportation industry, demand for long-lasting manufactured items rose 0.7% from December and was up 2.6% from the year before. Core capital goods orders, a proxy for business investments, rose 0.8% from December and 5.3% from January 2022.
    Commitments to home ownership rose again in January, according to the pending home sales index of the National Association of Realtors. The trade group said demand increased 8% from December, up for the second straight month following six consecutive declines. The index was 24% below its level in January 2022. The Realtors cited lower mortgage rates and strong employment for the two-month revival but forecast that full-year sales would fall 11% in 2023 to about 4.5 million existing houses. The association said the median sales price should decline 1.6% this year to $380,100.
    Tuesday
    Housing prices continued to weaken in December amid higher mortgage rates and concerns of recession, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index. Compared to the year before, the index rose 5.8%, the lowest gain since July 2020. The price increase has been dropping every month since last March, when it peaked at 20.8%. An analyst for S&P said macroeconomic conditions should continue to hamper demand for home buying and price gains should continue to decelerate.
    The Conference Board reported another decline in its consumer confidence index in February, the second drop in a row. Consumers had a slightly higher opinion of current economic conditions because of a robust job market, the business research group said, but expectations remained below a level associated with recessions for the 11th time in 12 months. The group said survey results showed diminished expectations for inflation at the same time that fewer consumers were planning on big-ticket purchases or vacations.
    Wednesday
    The manufacturing sector contracted for the fourth month in a row in February, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The trade group’s index showed manufacturers continuing to ease up on production and hiring to try to keep pace with weaker demand. The group also said the purchasing managers it surveyed anticipated a revival in business activity in the second half of the year.
    The annual pace of construction spending fell in January, the second month in a row, the Commerce Department reported. Spending on residential construction, which makes up nearly half of all spending, declined for the eighth consecutive month. Total construction spending was up 5.7% from the year before, but residential outlays were down 3.8%. Public construction spending dipped nearly 1% for the month but was up 11.1% from January 2022.
    Thursday
    The four-week moving average for initial unemployment claims declined for the third  week in a row but remained historically low — 48%  below the 56-year average, signifying the strong job market. The Labor Department also reported that total jobless claims declined 1% in the latest week to just below 2 million, slightly lower than the year before and down from more than 18.5 million at the same time in 2021.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics said worker productivity rose at an annual pace of 1.7% in the fourth quarter, down from an earlier estimate of 3%. The rate resulted from the annual pace of output rising 3.1% in the last four months of the year while hours worked rose 1.4%. Productivity declined 1.8% in the last four quarters, and the annual average productivity dropped 1.7% for 2022, the biggest setback since 1974. The average productivity rate since 1948 has been 2.1%.
    Friday
    The service sector of the U.S. economy expanded in February for the 2nd month in a row at about the same pace as January. The Institute for Supply Management said its survey of purchasing managers found supply deliveries to be at the swiftest pace since 2009 because of improvements in capacity and logistics. Companies interviewed cited high but easing prices, tighter profit margins and some job cuts.
    MARKET CLOSINGS FOR THE WEEK
    Nasdaq – 11689, up 294 points or 2.6%
    Standard & Poor’s 500 – 4045, up 75 points or 1.9%
    Dow Jones Industrial – 33390, up 573 points or  1.7%
    10-year U.S. Treasury Note – 3.96%, up 0.02 point
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    20 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday Feb. 24, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  February edition now available. Advisors on This Week’s Show Kyle Tetting Adam Baley Tom Pappenfus (with Jason Scuglik, Joel Dresang) Week in Review (Feb. 20-24, 2023) Significant Economic Indicators & Reports Monday Markets closed for Presidents Day Tuesday The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales slowed in January […]
    19 min
  • Money Talk Podcast, Friday Feb. 17, 2023
    Landaas & Company newsletter  February edition now available. Advisors on This Week’s Show Kyle Tetting Art Rothschild Kendall Bauer (with Jason Scuglik and Joel Dresang) Week in Review (Feb. 13-17, 2023) Significant Economic Indicators & Reports Monday No major announcements Tuesday The broadest measure of U.S. inflation showed the pace continued to ease in January. […]
    22 min

About Money Talk Podcast

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Independent investment advisor Bob Landaas makes sense of the latest financial developments and how they matter to individual investors. After nearly 20 years with his own popular radio show and…

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