brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Although Thanksgiving shortened the work week, several critical government shutdown-delayed reports were released ahead of the holiday. September retail sales rose 0.2%, which lagged the consensus estimates of +0.4%, but marked the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Retail sales are up 4.3% over the […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 On Thursday, the longest government shutdown in history ended after 43 days. The end of the government shutdown means that economic data will once again be slated for release in the coming weeks and months. The White House has noted that because of […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 On Sunday, progress toward ending the longest government shutdown on record gained momentum, as eight Democrat lawmakers joined Republicans in advancing a funding measure. While the shutdown remains in effect for now, it is expected to conclude this week, paving the way for […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The release of government data has been suspended due to the government shutdown. Investors still have access to economic data through private sources that may not be as holistic as government reports but can still offer a glimpse into the economy. The University […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The number of job openings grew to 7.22 million in August, leaving roughly one open job for every unemployed person in the U.S. – a sign that the labor market remains healthy. The total number of job quits fell slightly, signaling employee confidence […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 US Retail sales rose 0.6% in August, the same as July’s upwardly revised gain and stronger than the 0.2% increase expected, with spending led by non-store retailers, clothing, and restaurants. Core retail sales, which exclude autos, gas, food services, and building materials, which […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The Producer Price Index (PPI) surprised significantly to the downside in August, falling 0.1% – in contrast to the consensus forecast calling for a 0.3% increase – after spiking higher in July. Headline producer prices are up 2.6% from a year ago. “Core” […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The ISM Manufacturing Index rose to 48.7 in August but lagged the consensus expectation of 49.0. (Levels above 50 signal expansions, while levels below 50 signal contraction.) This marked the sixth consecutive month of contraction for the index. However, the major measures of […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The number of housing starts in July beat expectations and increased 5.2% month-over-month (MoM) to an annualized rate of 1.428 million, which marked the highest reading in five months. Multi family home starts rose 9.9% over the last month while single family homes […]