today’s data 8-31-2010

Consumer confidence data for August increased to 53.5 from an upwardly revised 51 in July. The expectations index also jumped to 72.5 from 67.5. However, the present-situation index dropped to 24.9 in August compared with 26.4 in July.
U.S. home prices also rose as the Case-Shiller home-price indexes reported a 4.4% growth during the second quarter compared with the first quarter and a 3.6% growth compared with a year earlier. Prices showed a solid increase for the third straight month in June. However, year-over-year increases slowed in June compared with May's readings, and sales of previously owned homes fell sharply by 27% in July.
The Chicago purchasing managers index also declined in August to 56.7 from 62.3 in July. Although the percentage drop indicates that business expansion is slowing, it was still in line with expectations.

 

(looks not bad!)

U.S. Home Prices Rose 1% in June

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/business/economy/01econ.html?src=mv

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: August 31, 2010

A crucial index on home prices in the United States rose in June, the last month that benefited from a tax credit for home buyers.

The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, a widely watched indicator, on Tuesday reported a 1 percent rise in June from May, the third consecutive monthly increase.

Nationally, the index rose 4.4 percent in the second quarter of 2010, after having fallen 2.8 percent in the first quarter. Home prices in the nationwide index are 3.6 percent above their year-earlier levels in the three-month period.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/business/economy/01econ.html?src=mv

Today’s data – 2010-08-30

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Consumer-spending-rises-04-apf-3440216038.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=1&asset=&ccode=

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans spent last month at the fastest pace in four months, helped by a jump in demand for automobiles.

Consumer spending rose 0.4 percent in July after three lackluster months, the Commerce Department said Monday. Spending fell 0.1 percent in April, rose a tiny 0.1 percent in May and was flat in June.

Personal incomes were up 0.2 percent in July, less than expected but at least an improvement over June when incomes had not risen at all.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Consumer-spending-rises-04-apf-3440216038.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=1&asset=&ccode=

(really not bad, I told you this’s the bottom. )

Event List –8/30/2010

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/27/markets/sunday_lookahead/index.htm

Monday: A government report on personal income and spending is due before the opening bell. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expect income to have edged up 0.2% in July after staying flat in June. Spending is forecast to rise 0.3% after ticking up 0.1%.

Economy slowing to a crawl -- or a halt?

Tuesday: The Conference Board releases its Consumer Confidence index for August after the start of trading. Economists forecast the index to have edged down to 50 in August from 50.4 in July.

The Chicago PMI, a regional reading on manufacturing activity, is expected to have fallen to 57.5 in August from 62.3 in July.

The Case-Shiller 20-city home price index is expected to have risen 3.5% in June after rising 4.6% in May.

Wednesday: Before the market opens, payroll processing firm ADP is expected to report that private sector employers added 13,000 jobs in August after adding 42,000 in July.

Separately, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas will report on planned job cuts.

After the start of trading, the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) index of manufacturing is due. Economists forecast the index to have eased to 53 in August from 55.5 in July. Any number above 50 indicates growth in the sector.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to report that construction spending fell 0.7% in July, after slipping 0.1% in June.

Auto and truck sales are due throughout the day, and the government's weekly oil inventory report also is released Wednesday.

Thursday: The Department of Labor releases a weekly report on jobless claims before the bell. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment insurance is expected to have edged up slightly last week to 475,000 from 473,000 in the previous week. Continuing claims, a measure of Americans who have been receiving benefits for a week or more, are expected to have dropped to 4,435,000 from 4,456,000.

Housing's new nightmare

Meanwhile, the government is expected to report that pending home sales were unchanged in July after dropping 2.6% in June.

Factory orders are due from the Commerce Department in the morning. Economists forecast orders to have risen 0.3% in July after falling 1.2% in June.

The Commerce Department will issue a report on second-quarter business productivity, which is expected to be downwardly revised to a decline of 1.6% from the 0.9% drop that was initially projected.

Friday: The week ends with the government's widely anticipated monthly jobs report, which is forecast to show the U.S. economy lost 118,000 jobs in August after cutting payrolls by 131,000 in July. The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 9.6% from 9.5%.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/27/markets/sunday_lookahead/index.htm

Fed chief Bernanke's speech on the economic outlook, stock market higher

 

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10846197/1/the-stock-market-story-aug-27.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stocks traded decidedly higher Friday afternoon with investors sifting for bargains following a less disappointing than expected downward revision to second-quarter gross domestic product and suitably somber comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke about the nation's economic outlook.

More on ^DJI

Market Activity

• Dow Jones Industrial Average| ^DJI

  UP

• S&P 500 Index| ^GSPC

  UP

• NASDAQ Composite| ^IXIC

  UP

Also adding to the market's calculus, 3Par(PAR) accepted Dell's(DELL) offer to acquire the data storage company for $1.8 billion, or $27 a share, matching Hewlett-Packard's(HPQ) sweetened bid on Thursday. But HP raised its offer yet again Friday morning to $30 a share. 3Par's stock was soaring 24.4% to $32.39 and Dell's stock was ahead by 2.6% to $12.06. Shares of Hewlett-Packard were trading 1.4% lower to $37.67.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had reached triple-digit gains earlier, was gaining 95 points, or 1% to 10,081 most recently. The S&P 500 was adding 9 points, or 0.9% to 1056 and the Nasdaq was ahead by 16 points, or 0.8% at 2135.

 

http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10846197/1/the-stock-market-story-aug-27.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

U.S. economic growth slows to 1.6% in second quarter

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-second-quarter-growth-slows-to-16-2010-08-27?siteid=yhoof

By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. economic growth slowed to 1.6% in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said Friday, two-thirds the rate that the agency had initially projected for the April-through-June period as imports surged.

The figures more broadly paint a picture of a $14.58 trillion economy led by business investment, one that data on more recent activity suggest is struggling to grow.

Gross domestic product, reflecting the inflation-adjusted, seasonally adjusted value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., slowed from the 3.7% annualized pace in the first quarter, the Commerce Department's data showed.

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-second-quarter-growth-slows-to-16-2010-08-27?siteid=yhoof

today’s data 2010-08-26

The Labor Department reported initial unemployment claims last week fell to 473,000. This decline of 31,000 was higher than economists' predictions of a 10,000 drop. Continuing claims also decreased by 62,000 to a total of 4.456 million. However, the four-week moving average for initial claims increased by 3,250 to 486,750, which is the highest level since November 2009. The Labor Department also made an upward revision of 4,000 initial claims for the week ended Aug. 14 to 504,000.

 

 

( load your truck. let’s go north)

time to buy

 

time to buy ,
right now

 

for your record
Dow Jones 10,002.84  -57.22  (-0.57%) 
S&P 500 1,049.09  -6.24  (-0.59%) 
Nasdaq 2,125.98  -15.56  (-0.73%) 

New jobless claims drop for first time in 4 weeks

New jobless claims drop for first time in 4 weeks

The Associated Press - 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON - New requests for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, the first decline in a month and a hopeful sign after a raft of negative economic reports.

 

(what do we concern? this is what we concerned)

today’s data 2010-08-24

 

New-home sales dropped to a record low, as inventories increased and sales plummeted after the government's first-time home buyer's tax credit expired. Sales in July dropped 12.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 276,000 units, though economists had expected sales to increase 0.9%. However, home prices rose 0.9% in the second quarter of 2010, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

While durabl e goods orders increased in July, the improvement was less than expected. Buoyed by strong demand for transportation equipment, orders rose by 0.3% to $193.02 billion, seasonally adjusted--far less than the 2.8% climb that economists predicted.

 

(time to load, don’t be scared too much. This year is much better than last year. )

年内你可以看到1180 S&P500 2010-08-25

 

At least 1160. 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=%5EGSPC+Interactive#chart2:symbol=^gspc;range=1y;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on

 

Here we go.