Brief
This report covers the 34th week of the year spanning Friday, August 18th, through Friday, August 25th, 2023. The week in numbers provides key statistics and data, economic reports, market performance and fun science stats for the week.
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Highlights
- The National Debt has increased 1.3 Trillion since the National Debt ceiling was suspended on June 1st, 2023
- Solana (SOL) is the best performing major crypto YTD up 104.7%
- Gasoline Futures drop 6.3% this week
- Steel Futures plummet 9.9% and flip negative 2.3% YTD
Market summary
US Stocks have a mixed week with the DJIA down 0.45% and the Nasdaq up 2.3%. Overall US stocks were up an average 0.71% for the week. S&P500 Energy was the worst preforming sector of the week dropping 1.37% and flipping negative 0.92% YTD. Information Technology performed the best, gaining 2.57% followed by Consumer Discretionary up 1.13%.
Economic Reports
Monday, August 21st
- No notable economic reports
Tuesday, August 22nd
- Existing Home Sales for July decreased 2.2% to seasonally adjusted rate of 4.07M, less than the expected rate of 4.15M and less than last month’s rate of 4.16M
Wednesday, August 23rd
- New Home Sales for July increased 4.4% to a seasonally adjusted rate of 714K, more than the expected rate of 701K and more than last month’s rate of 684K
Thursday, August 24th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week decreased by 10,000 to 230,000 new claims, basically inline with the expected 240,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims decreased by 9,000 to 1.70 million
- Durable Orders for July decreased 5.2%, larger than the expected decrease of 4.0% and much worse than last month’s increase of 4.4%
- Durable Goods –ex transportation for July increased 0.5%, more than the expected increase of 0.2% and more than last month’s increase of 0.2%
Friday, August 25th
- Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment – Final for August was 69.5, less than the expected 71.2 and less than last month’s 71.2
Next Week’s Major Reports
- Consumer Confidence – Tuesday, August 29th
- JOLTS Job Openings – Tuesday, August 29th
- GDP Second Estimate – Wednesday, August 30th
- Personal Income – Thursday, August 31st
- Personal Spending – Thursday, August 31st
- PCE Prices – Thursday, August 31st
- Nonfarm Payrolls – Friday, September 1st
- Unemployment Rate – Friday, September 1st
- ISM Manufacturing Index – Friday, September 1st
See more Economic News at Briefing.com or learn about each economic report in our knowledge hub.
US Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJIA | 34,346.90 | -153.76 | -0.45% | 34,029.22 | 34,694.68 | 3.62% | ||
| Nasdaq | 13,590.65 | 299.87 | 2.26% | 13,325.59 | 13,834.69 | 29.85% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,405.71 | 36.00 | 0.82% | 4,356.29 | 4,458.30 | 14.75% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 43,525.73 | 307.84 | 0.71% | 43,244.22 | 43,843.77 | 14.32% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 220.84 | 2.14 | 0.98% | 220.46 | 225.05 | 38.57% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,298.21 | 14.54 | 1.13% | 1,284.07 | 1,310.37 | 29.11% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 760.16 | -5.82 | -0.76% | 755.92 | 761.79 | -2.43% | ||
| Energy | 666.18 | -9.25 | -1.37% | 659.12 | 671.21 | -0.92% | ||
| Financials | 563.99 | 0.31 | 0.05% | 558.22 | 563.99 | -1.01% | ||
| Health Care | 1,552.14 | -2.25 | -0.14% | 1,542.82 | 1,555.86 | -2.11% | ||
| Industrials | 899.43 | 2.47 | 0.28% | 891.79 | 902.79 | 8.18% | ||
| Information Technology | 2,995.81 | 75.07 | 2.57% | 2,971.46 | 3,036.80 | 37.92% | ||
| Materials | 507.99 | -0.21 | -0.04% | 506.62 | 508.83 | 3.77% | ||
| Real Estate | 228.50 | 1.61 | 0.71% | 224.90 | 228.83 | -1.67% | ||
| Utilities | 321.65 | 0.85 | 0.26% | 318.89 | 321.65 | -10.27% |
Global Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,338.58 | 76.15 | 1.05% | 7,250.88 | 7,389.40 | -1.52% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,229.60 | 65.49 | 0.91% | 7,165.07 | 7,343.77 | 11.68% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 9,338.90 | 71.20 | 0.77% | 9,239.40 | 9,415.50 | 13.49% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 15,631.82 | 57.56 | 0.37% | 15,571.82 | 15,896.74 | 12.27% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 64,886.51 | -62.15 | -0.10% | 64,732.57 | 65,913.77 | 6.65% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 3,064.07 | -67.88 | -2.17% | 3,053.04 | 3,134.96 | -0.82% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 17,956.38 | 5.53 | 0.03% | 17,573.70 | 18,272.95 | -9.23% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 31,624.28 | 173.52 | 0.55% | 31,409.86 | 32,297.91 | 21.19% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 7,115.20 | -32.90 | -0.46% | 7,090.00 | 7,194.40 | 1.09% |
Currencies
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3604 | 0.0052 | 0.38% | 1.3496 | 1.3641 | 0.37% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 16.7552 | -0.2997 | -1.76% | 16.7367 | 17.0802 | -14.02% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 4,108.38 | -10.26 | -0.25% | 4,018.00 | 4,133.58 | -15.27% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 4.8733 | -0.0968 | -1.95% | 4.8468 | 4.9954 | -7.79% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.7950 | 0.0096 | 1.22% | 0.7832 | 0.7970 | -3.82% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9264 | 0.0066 | 0.72% | 0.9148 | 0.9288 | -0.86% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.8844 | 0.0021 | 0.24% | 0.8759 | 0.8877 | -4.40% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 22.3268 | 0.2335 | 1.06% | 21.9630 | 22.4058 | -1.07% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.6979 | 0.0502 | 0.47% | 10.5520 | 10.7451 | 9.06% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 11.0530 | 0.0817 | 0.74% | 10.8445 | 11.0999 | 5.90% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 95.00 | 0.90 | 0.96% | 92.14 | 95.69 | 28.81% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7514 | 0.0009 | 0.02% | 3.7495 | 3.7526 | -0.18% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6730 | 0.0000 | 0.00% | 3.6727 | 3.6732 | 0.01% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 82.53 | -0.63 | -0.76% | 82.41 | 83.21 | -0.27% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 35.12 | -0.33 | -0.93% | 34.81 | 35.42 | 1.44% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3560 | -0.0011 | -0.08% | 1.3509 | 1.3591 | 1.13% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.6400 | -0.0075 | -0.16% | 4.6365 | 4.6585 | 5.33% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 7.2940 | -0.0152 | -0.21% | 7.2681 | 7.3362 | 5.38% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8440 | 0.0113 | 0.14% | 7.8318 | 7.8455 | 0.48% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,326.37 | -13.79 | -1.03% | 1,318.19 | 1,345.02 | 5.11% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 146.45 | 1.04 | 0.72% | 144.55 | 146.64 | 11.69% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.5608 | -0.0007 | -0.04% | 1.5411 | 1.5674 | 6.52% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.6941 | 0.0052 | 0.31% | 1.6706 | 1.6992 | 7.58% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – increased 1.8 cents or 0.24% this week to $3.868 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – decreased by 6.14M barrels last week compared to prior week decrease of 5.96M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – increased 18 bcf last week compared to prior week increase of 35 bcf (billion cubic feet)
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1,939.90 | 23.40 | 1.22% | 1,913.60 | 1,951.30 | 6.23% | ||
| Silver | 24.23 | 1.50 | 6.60% | 22.71 | 24.44 | 0.81% | ||
| Platinum | 948.20 | 33.20 | 3.63% | 905.20 | 955.70 | -12.44% | ||
| Palladium | 1,229.10 | -30.90 | -2.45% | 1,213.00 | 1,302.50 | -31.64% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | 79.83 | -1.42 | -1.75% | 77.59 | 82.47 | -0.54% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.5400 | -0.0110 | -0.43% | 2.4250 | 2.6600 | -38.11% | ||
| Gasoline | 2.6450 | -0.1782 | -6.31% | 2.5272 | 2.8638 | 6.73% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | 516.00 | -18.00 | -3.37% | 515.00 | 543.00 | 38.08% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 727.00 | -80.00 | -9.91% | 720.00 | 810.00 | -2.28% | ||
| Copper | 3.7620 | 0.0560 | 1.51% | 3.6845 | 3.8155 | -1.27% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 4.8800 | -0.0500 | -1.01% | 4.7425 | 5.0625 | -28.08% | ||
| Wheat | 6.2175 | -0.1725 | -2.70% | 6.1550 | 6.4625 | -21.50% | ||
| Soybeans | 13.8775 | 0.3450 | 2.55% | 13.3250 | 13.9050 | -8.94% | ||
| Coffee | 1.5315 | 0.0315 | 2.10% | 1.4955 | 1.5625 | -8.46% | ||
| Sugar | 0.2483 | 0.0107 | 4.50% | 0.2308 | 0.2489 | 23.90% | ||
| Cocoa | 3,466.00 | 17.00 | 0.49% | 3,389.00 | 3,480.00 | 33.31% | ||
| Cotton | 0.8731 | 0.0369 | 4.41% | 0.8360 | 0.8749 | 4.73% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1.8118 | 0.0235 | 1.31% | 1.7808 | 1.8138 | 14.74% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.7983 | -0.0230 | -2.80% | 0.7825 | 0.8313 | -8.98% | ||
| Feeder Cattle | 2.5398 | 0.0840 | 3.42% | 2.5025 | 2.5415 | 38.26% |
Interest Rates
- Federal Funds Effective Rate – has remained the same this week at 5.33% with the target rate rage increasing to 5.25-5.50% since the July 26th, 2023 increase of 25 basis points. See more about the Federal Funds Rate.
- 30 Year Average US Mortgage Rates – increased this week to 7.23% from 7.09% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – decreased by 4.2% this week compared to the prior week decrease of 0.8%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 5.381% | 0.011% | 5.357% | 5.403% | ||
| US 3 Month | 5.490% | 0.040% | 5.411% | 5.493% | ||
| US 1 Year | 5.448% | 0.094% | 5.335% | 5.450% | ||
| US 5 Year | 4.453% | 0.057% | 4.348% | 4.501% | ||
| US 10 Year | 4.234% | -0.019% | 4.176% | 4.366% | ||
| US 30 Year | 4.288% | -0.093% | 4.244% | 4.479% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – increased 0.25% or 2.6B this week to 1,051B
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 26,058.22 | -0.04 | 0.00% | 25,593.79 | 26,778.01 | 57.48% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 1,658.18 | -14.80 | -0.88% | 1,608.82 | 1,694.18 | 38.55% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 218.48 | 2.16 | 1.00% | 204.29 | 220.41 | -11.31% | ||
| 4 | XRP | 0.5276 | 0.0211 | 4.18% | 0.5025 | 0.5533 | 55.23% | ||
| 5 | ADA | 0.2612 | -0.0028 | -1.05% | 0.2527 | 0.2728 | 5.96% | ||
| 6 | SOL | 20.39 | -0.96 | -4.51% | 19.61 | 22.17 | 104.73% | ||
| 7 | DOGE | 0.0631 | -0.0001 | -0.20% | 0.0609 | 0.0645 | -10.25% | ||
| 8 | TRX | 0.0771 | 0.0037 | 5.00% | 0.0729 | 0.0787 | 41.49% | ||
| 9 | SHIB | 0.00000817 | -0.00000043 | -4.96% | 0.00000776 | 0.00000868 | 1.00% | ||
| 10 | LTC | 65.31 | 1.14 | 1.78% | 63.31 | 67.21 | -6.70% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
Fascinating Stats
US National Debt
The US National Debt increased 78.79 billion (Wednesday August 16th to Wednesday August 23rd), to a total debt of $32,740,372,767,613.62 according to the Treasury Department. The National Debt Ceiling of 31.381 trillion has been suspended as of June 1st, 2023 until January 1st, 2025. See the Debt to the Penny.
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Chart data updated through August 23rd, 2023
Space Weather – Solar Sunspots
The number of solar Sunspots (magnetic storms on the surface of the sun facing Earth) has increased this week to 86 from 135 last week, the sun has had 0 spotless days in 2023. We are about 2 years into a 5 year solar cycle known as Solar Maximum where sunspots are in constant very high numbers. See more about Sunspots and space weather.
Exoplanet Discoveries
NASA has cataloged 6 new exoplanets this week, the total is now 5,502 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 4,234 confirmed Planetary Systems. 261 Exoplanets have been confirmed this year so far and there are 9,820 Exoplanet Candidates being evaluated for confirmation. Learn about all of the Exoplanets from NASA’s Exoplanet Catalog.