Economy

“Retail sales surge 3.8% in January, much more than expected amid inflation rise”

“…Retail sales for the month rose 3.8%, much better than the 2.1% Dow Jones estimate. The numbers are not adjusted for inflation; the 0.6% rise in the consumer price index for the month helped push a reversal from the 2.5% sales… Continue Reading…

Economy

“Payrolls show surprisingly powerful gain of 467,000 in January…”

“…Nonfarm payrolls surged by 467,000 for the month, while the unemployment rate edged higher to 4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Dow Jones estimate was for payroll growth of 150,000 and a 3.9% unemployment rate… Along with the… Continue Reading…

Business, Economy

“Natural gas drops 7%, sharpest decline since January following big run-up on supply concerns”

“Natural gas futures dipped as much as 8% on Wednesday, pulling back from a more than seven-year high above $6 per million British thermal units hit during the prior session. The contract for November delivery fell to a low of… Continue Reading…

Cryptocurrencies

“Bitcoin Price Drops Below $30K for the First Time Since January”

“Bitcoin dipped below the long-held support at $30,000 on Tuesday, hitting the lowest level since Jan. 28. The cryptocurrency traded at $29,700 shortly before press time, bringing the year-to-date gain down to just 3%, according to CoinDesk 20 data. The drop… Continue Reading…

Stocks

“Best Growth Stocks for January 2021”

“We’ll go over what that big money trading activity looks like in a bit. But the five stocks we see as long-term growth candidates are Axon Enterprise, Inc. (AAXN), Align Technology, Inc. (ALGN), CyberArk Software Ltd. (CYBR), GrowGeneration Corp. (GRWG),… Continue Reading…

Stocks

“Best Dividend Stocks for January 2021”

“…But the five stocks I see as long-term dividend growth candidates are The Home Depot, Inc. (HD), Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST), Target Corporation (TGT), Mastercard Incorporated (MA), and Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI)…” https://www.investopedia.com/best-dividend-stocks-4774650 I highlighted a smaller portion of this… Continue Reading…

Economy

“Leading indicators surge in January, point to steady economic expansion in early 2020”

“The numbers: The economy showed some more sizzle at the start of 2020, pointing to steady growth in the next several months, according to an index that measures the nation’s economic health. The leading economic index jumped 0.8% in January, the Conference… Continue Reading…

Economy

“Federal Taxes and Spending Set Records Through January”

“The federal government set records for both the amount of taxes it collected and the amount of money it spent in the first four months of fiscal 2020 (October through January), according to data released today in the Monthly Treasury Statement.… Continue Reading…

Economy

“January adds a much stronger-than-expected 225,000 jobs, with a boost from warm weather”

“The unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.6%, but for the right reason as the labor force participation rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 63.4%, matching its highest level since June 2013, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department…… Continue Reading…

Economy

“Private payrolls soar in January, the best monthly gain in nearly 5 years”

“The jobs market kicked off 2020 in grand fashion, adding 291,000 in private payrolls for the best monthly gain since May 2015, according to a report Wednesday from ADP and Moody’s Analytics. That was well above the 150,000 estimate from… Continue Reading…