EQUITY MARKETS

US

S&P500 +0.28%(2,683.34); NASDAQ +0.34% (6,959.96); DJIA +0.42% (24,754.06)

This week’s reports:

Q3 2017 GDP Growth Annualized (third est.) was revised lower to 3.2% versus the previous estimate of 3.3% as personal consumption expenditures increased slightly less than previously estimated.
November’s Personal Spending rose 0.6% from October’s +0.2%. Personal Income rose 0.3% from October’s +0.4%.
December’s Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 95.9 from November’s 96.8.
December’s NAHB Housing Market Index rose to 74 from November’s 69.
November’s Housing Starts rose 3.3% from October’s +13.7%. Building Permits fell 1.4% from October’s +7.4%.
November’s Existing Home Sales rose 5.6% from October’s +2.4%. New Home Sales surged 17.5% from October’s -1.7%.
November’s Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) fell to 0.15 from October’s 0.76.
December’s Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index rose to 26.2 from November’s 22.7.
November’s Durable Goods Orders rose 1.3% from October’s -0.4%. Durable Goods Orders ex Transportation fell 0.1% from October’s +1.3%.
Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending December 15^th rose by 20K to 245K. Continuing Jobless Claims for the week ending December 8^th rose by 33K to 1,932K.
US stocks eked out small gains in low-volume trading before Christmas holidays as declines in consumer, health-care and financial stocks were countered by real estate and energy.