An Upbeat Report on the Service Sector

The Institute for Supply Management’s May non-manufacturing purchasing manager index displayed a reading of 56.9 last week, showing expansion in U.S. service industries for an eighty-ninth straight month. Although the gauge declined 0.6 points from its April mark, it signaled a solid pace of growth. The index’s employment component rose 6.4 points to a mark of 57.8, as 15 industries added workers in May.The PMI has averaged a reading of 55.9 over the past 12 months.¹

Factory Orders Declined in April

According to a new Census Bureau report, they decreased 0.2%. That marked their first month-over-month retreat of 2017. The 0.2% gain for March factory orders, however, was revised up to 1.0%. Orders increased by an average of 0.7% per month in the first quarter.²

Abundant Supply Hurts Oil

WTI crude lost 3.8% during June 5-9, tumbling to a $45.83 settlement on the NYMEXFriday.The U.S. rig count rose again last week, as it has every week for the past five months.While OPEC has vowed to reduce production by 1.2 million barrels per day, daily American oil output has increased by almost 600,000 barrels,so far,this year.³

Two Major Indices Retreat; a Third Rises

Last week, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.55% to 6,207.92,while the S&P 500 dipped0.30% to 2,431.76.On the other hand, the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to gain 0.31% on its way to a Friday close of 21,271.28. TheCBOE VIX volatility index soared 17.03% for the week, settling Friday at 11.41.⁴

The Week Ahead

Nothing major is scheduled for Monday. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the May Producer Price Index on Tuesday; in addition, H&R Block and Wiley announce quarterly results. Wednesday, investors react to the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy decision, the May Consumer Price Index,theMay retail sales report, and quarterly results from Jabil and Liberty Tax. A new initial jobless claims report arrives onThursday,plus a report on May industrial output and earnings announcements from Bob Evans Farms and Kroger. On Friday, the University of Michigan’s preliminary June consumer sentiment index appears, along with data on May housing starts and building permits.

Sources: wsj.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov – 6/9/17^4,5,6,7

Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends. 10-year TIPS real yield = projected return at maturity given expected inflation.

The information herein has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All market indices discussed are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment. Indices do not incur management fees, costs and expenses, and cannot be invested into directly. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. NYSE Group, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) operates two securities exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and NYSE Arca (formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange, or ArcaEx®, and the Pacific Exchange). NYSE Group is a leading provider of securities listing, trading and market data products and services. The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals, with trading conducted through two divisions – the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets, and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. 

Citations

1 -instituteforsupplymanagement.org/ISMReport/NonMfgROB.cfm [6/5/17]

2-briefing.com/Investor/Calendars/Economic/Releases/facord.htm [6/5/17]

3-marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-pinned-down-by-strong-dollar-supply-worries-2017-06-09[6/9/17]

4-markets.wsj.com/us [6/9/17]5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=6%2F9%2F16&x=0&y=0[6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=6%2F9%2F16&x=0&y=0[6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=6%2F9%2F16&x=0&y=0 [6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=6%2F8%2F12&x=0&y=0[6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=6%2F8%2F12&x=0&y=0[6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=6%2F8%2F12&x=0&y=0 [6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=DJIA&closeDate=6%2F8%2F07&x=0&y=0 [6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=COMP&closeDate=6%2F8%2F07&x=0&y=0 [6/9/17]

5 -bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/default.asp?symb=SPX&closeDate=6%2F8%2F07&x=0&y=0 [6/9/17]

6-treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield[6/9/17]

7-treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyieldAll [6/9/17]