US

S&P500  +10.26% (2,541.47);   NASDAQ  +9.05% (7,502.38);   DJIA  +12.84% (21,636.78)

This week’s reports:

  • February’s Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rose to 0.16 from January’s -0.33.
  • March’s Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index rose to 2 from February’s reading of -2.
  • March’s Markit Manufacturing PMI (prelim.) fell to 49.2 from February’s 50.7. Services PMI (prelim.) fell to 39.1 from February’s 49.4. Composite PMI (prelim.) fell to 40.5 from February’s 49.6.
  • February’s Durable Goods Orders rose 1.2% from January’s +0.1%. Durable Goods Orders ex. Transportation fell 0.6% from January’s -0.6%.
  • March’s Kansas Fed Manufacturing Activity Index fell to -18 from February’s +8.
  • February’s Wholesale Inventories (prelim.) fell 0.5%, the same decrease as in January.
  • March’s Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 89.1, its weakest since October 2016, from February’s 101.
  • February’s Personal Income rose 0.6%, the same increase as in January. Personal Spending also rose by the same rate as in January, 0.2%.      
  • February’s New Home Sales fell 4.4% from January’s +10.5%.      
  • Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending March 20th rose by 3,001K, their biggest weekly increase ever, to 3,283K. Continuing Jobless Claims for the week ending March 13th rose by 101K to 1.803M.