Brief
This report covers the 3rd week of the year spanning Friday, January 12th, through Friday, January 19th, 2024. 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 US National Debt has increased 2.60 Trillion since the National Debt ceiling was suspended on June 1st, 2023
- China’s population falls by 2 million in 2023 as the number of deaths increased by 690k to 11.1M while the birth rate declined by 540k or 5.6% to about 9M (AP Article)
- US Stocks post an average gain of 0.97% for the week
- The S&P500 Information Technology sector performed the best this week, gaining 4.31%
- The S&P500 Utilities Sector performed the worst this week, dropping 3.70%
- The Crypto Market was down 2.3% with BTC leading the decline falling 1,268 or 2.98% to close the week at 41,627
- Ethereum (ETH) is the best performing major crypto so far YTD 2024 up 8.9%
View our Economic Indicators Dashboard for up-to-date economic stats.
Economic Reports
Monday, January 15th
- Consumer Credit for November increased $23.7B, more than the expected increase of $9.3B and more than prior month’s increase of $5.8B
Tuesday, January 16th
- No notable economic reports
Wednesday, January 17th
- Retail Sales for December increased 0.6%, more than the expected increase of 0.4% and more than prior month’s increase of 0.3%
- Retail Sales ex-auto for December increased 0.4%, more than prior month’s increase of 0.2%
- Capacity Utilization for December was 78.6%, less than the expected 78.8% and less than prior month’s 78.6%
Thursday, January 18th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week decreased by 16,000 to 187,000 new claims, less than the expected 206,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims decreased by 26,000 to 1.83 million
- Housing Starts for December decreased 4.3% M/M to an annually adjusted rate of 1,460K, more than the expected rate of 1,417K
- Building Permits for December increased 1.9% M/M to an annually adjusted rate of 1,495K, more than the expected rate of 1,478K
Friday, January 19th
- Existing Home Sales for December decreased 1.0% M/M to an annually adjusted rate of 3.78M, less than the expected rate of 3.80M
- Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment – Prelim for January was 78.8, more than the expected 68.8 and more than the prior month’s 69.7
Next Week’s Major Reports
- Advanced GDP – Thursday, January 25th
- New Home Sales – Thursday, January 25th
- Personal Income – Friday, January 26th
- Personal Spending- Friday, January 26th
- PCE Prices – Friday, January 26th
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 | 37,863.80 | 270.82 | 0.72% | 37,122.95 | 37,933.73 | 0.46% | ||
| Nasdaq | 15,310.97 | 338.21 | 2.26% | 14,706.23 | 15,310.97 | 2.00% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,839.81 | 55.98 | 1.17% | 4,714.82 | 4,842.07 | 1.47% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 47,712.74 | 460.25 | 0.97% | 46,750.77 | 47,712.74 | 0.83% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 256.42 | 4.90 | 1.95% | 248.87 | 256.42 | 4.24% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,397.23 | 7.18 | 0.52% | 1,374.59 | 1,397.23 | -1.47% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 763.37 | -8.01 | -1.04% | 763.37 | 767.65 | 0.14% | ||
| Energy | 612.33 | -19.44 | -3.08% | 610.09 | 616.60 | -4.33% | ||
| Financials | 630.96 | 5.88 | 0.94% | 619.37 | 630.96 | 0.74% | ||
| Health Care | 1,625.99 | -11.76 | -0.72% | 1,624.75 | 1,628.69 | 2.24% | ||
| Industrials | 952.12 | 2.71 | 0.29% | 933.81 | 952.12 | -1.31% | ||
| Information Technology | 3,565.21 | 147.36 | 4.31% | 3,414.11 | 3,565.21 | 4.95% | ||
| Materials | 518.55 | -7.85 | -1.49% | 515.99 | 520.16 | -3.90% | ||
| Real Estate | 243.07 | -5.30 | -2.13% | 240.75 | 246.85 | -3.38% | ||
| Utilities | 309.79 | -11.91 | -3.70% | 309.79 | 318.32 | -3.77% |
Global Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,461.93 | -163.00 | -2.14% | 7,404.08 | 7,637.79 | -3.51% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,371.64 | -93.50 | -1.25% | 7,281.10 | 7,479.27 | -2.27% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 9,858.30 | -236.50 | -2.34% | 9,798.80 | 10,135.30 | -2.41% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 16,555.13 | -149.43 | -0.89% | 16,345.02 | 16,736.16 | -1.17% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 71,683.23 | -885.22 | -1.22% | 70,665.50 | 73,427.59 | -0.77% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 2,832.28 | -49.70 | -1.72% | 2,760.98 | 2,904.46 | -4.80% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 15,308.69 | -935.89 | -5.76% | 15,183.96 | 16,334.71 | -10.20% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 35,963.27 | 386.16 | 1.09% | 35,371.25 | 36,239.22 | 7.47% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 7,421.20 | -77.10 | -1.03% | 7,322.00 | 7,505.10 | -2.23% |
Currencies
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3430 | 0.0020 | 0.15% | 1.3383 | 1.3545 | 1.38% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 17.0826 | 0.2128 | 1.26% | 16.8506 | 17.3862 | 0.66% | ||
| ARS Argentinian Peso | 819.75 | 3.70 | 0.45% | 815.53 | 820.23 | 1.40% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 3,918.60 | 3.88 | 0.10% | 3,893.20 | 3,986.21 | 1.12% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 4.9315 | 0.0772 | 1.59% | 4.8526 | 4.9555 | 1.63% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.7871 | 0.0029 | 0.37% | 0.7833 | 0.7939 | 0.22% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9178 | 0.0046 | 0.50% | 0.9116 | 0.9222 | 1.30% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.8681 | 0.0155 | 1.82% | 0.8509 | 0.8706 | 3.14% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 22.7459 | 0.2443 | 1.09% | 22.4598 | 22.8776 | 1.64% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.4886 | 0.1987 | 1.93% | 10.2633 | 10.5617 | 3.09% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 10.4672 | 0.2003 | 1.95% | 10.2447 | 10.5173 | 3.61% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 88.17 | -2.76 | -3.04% | 90.93 | 90.93 | -1.21% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7507 | 0.0000 | 0.00% | 3.7489 | 3.7514 | 0.02% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6729 | 0.0000 | 0.00% | 3.6726 | 3.6732 | 0.00% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 83.15 | 0.29 | 0.35% | 82.79 | 83.43 | -0.05% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 35.52 | 0.61 | 1.75% | 34.76 | 35.72 | 3.32% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3416 | 0.0099 | 0.74% | 1.3306 | 1.3470 | 1.67% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.7175 | 0.0705 | 1.52% | 4.6470 | 4.7235 | 2.67% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 7.2032 | 0.0138 | 0.19% | 7.1749 | 7.2322 | 1.06% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8182 | -0.0029 | -0.04% | 7.8148 | 7.8287 | 0.11% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,334.11 | 20.94 | 1.59% | 1,313.51 | 1,350.66 | 3.06% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 148.15 | 3.33 | 2.30% | 144.85 | 148.82 | 5.05% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.5159 | 0.0202 | 1.35% | 1.4914 | 1.5326 | 3.31% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.6343 | 0.0320 | 2.00% | 1.6000 | 1.6426 | 3.27% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – decreased 1.6 cents or -0.52% this week to $3.058 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – decreased by 2.49M barrels last week compared to prior week increase of 1.34M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – decreased 154 bcf last week compared to prior week decrease of 140 bcf (billion cubic feet)
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2,029.30 | -22.30 | -1.09% | 2,004.60 | 2,060.40 | -2.05% | ||
| Silver | 22.71 | -0.62 | -2.65% | 22.52 | 23.40 | -5.71% | ||
| Platinum | 907.00 | -14.10 | -1.53% | 883.20 | 924.00 | -10.13% | ||
| Palladium | 948.70 | -29.80 | -3.05% | 904.50 | 980.00 | -14.48% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | 73.41 | 0.73 | 1.00% | 70.50 | 74.91 | 2.46% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.2520 | -0.3650 | -13.95% | 2.2370 | 2.5180 | -3.22% | ||
| Gasoline | 2.1628 | 0.0425 | 2.00% | 2.0756 | 2.1970 | 2.68% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | 548.00 | -10.50 | -1.88% | 542.50 | 555.50 | 0.83% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 1,070.00 | -6.00 | -0.56% | 1,068.00 | 1,078.00 | -5.73% | ||
| Copper | 3.7865 | 0.0460 | 1.23% | 3.7145 | 3.7920 | -2.67% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 4.4550 | -0.0150 | -0.34% | 4.3675 | 4.5125 | -5.46% | ||
| Wheat | 5.9325 | -0.0275 | -0.46% | 5.7325 | 6.0225 | -5.53% | ||
| Soybeans | 12.1325 | -0.1100 | -0.90% | 12.0100 | 12.3775 | -6.53% | ||
| Coffee | 1.8515 | 0.0515 | 2.86% | 1.7555 | 1.8710 | -1.67% | ||
| Sugar | 0.2357 | 0.0196 | 9.07% | 0.2185 | 0.2375 | 14.53% | ||
| Cocoa | 4,583.00 | 260.00 | 6.01% | 4,321.00 | 4,607.00 | 9.22% | ||
| Cotton | 0.8395 | 0.0264 | 3.25% | 0.8068 | 0.8472 | 3.64% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1.7438 | 0.0300 | 1.75% | 1.7135 | 1.7508 | 3.49% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.7075 | -0.0115 | -1.60% | 0.7003 | 0.7195 | 4.08% | ||
| Feeder Cattle | 2.3195 | 0.0538 | 2.37% | 2.2688 | 2.3345 | 4.34% |
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 – decreased this week to 6.60% from 6.66% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – increased by 10.4% this week compared to the prior week increase of 9.9%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 5.370% | -0.025% | 5.353% | 5.419% | ||
| US 3 Month | 5.359% | 0.007% | 5.335% | 5.437% | ||
| US 1 Year | 4.862% | 0.200% | 4.665% | 4.873% | ||
| US 5 Year | 4.047% | 0.215% | 3.832% | 4.109% | ||
| US 10 Year | 4.131% | 0.187% | 3.944% | 4.199% | ||
| US 30 Year | 4.333% | 0.156% | 4.177% | 4.406% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – decreased 2.33% or -39.1B this week to 1,638B
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 41,627.16 | -1,268.89 | -2.96% | 40,336.03 | 43,525.03 | -1.41% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 2,494.36 | -31.02 | -1.23% | 2,421.78 | 2,612.79 | 8.89% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 314.31 | 17.54 | 5.91% | 292.41 | 319.60 | 0.69% | ||
| 4 | SOL | 93.38 | 1.95 | 2.13% | 87.34 | 102.56 | -7.96% | ||
| 5 | XRP | 0.5452 | -0.0256 | -4.48% | 0.5246 | 0.5927 | -11.48% | ||
| 6 | ADA | 0.5024 | -0.0452 | -8.26% | 0.4722 | 0.5533 | -15.39% | ||
| 7 | AVAX | 32.67 | -3.18 | -8.88% | 31.32 | 37.84 | -15.31% | ||
| 8 | DOGE | 0.0786 | -0.0015 | -1.82% | 0.0752 | 0.0838 | -12.11% | ||
| 9 | TRX | 0.1107 | 0.0034 | 3.18% | 0.1067 | 0.1175 | 2.34% | ||
| 10 | DOT | 6.8704 | -0.6942 | -9.18% | 6.5813 | 7.7370 | -16.09% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
Fascinating Stats
US National Debt
The US National Debt increased 57.7 billion (Wednesday, January 10th to Wednesday, January 17th), to a total debt of $34,060,163,447,630.43 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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305.6
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253.2
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532.2
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179.1
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122.8
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58.7
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| Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan |
Chart data updated through October 11th, 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 113 from 151 last week, the sun has had 0 spotless days in 2024. 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 0 new exoplanets this week, the total has remained at 5,569 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 4,280 confirmed Planetary Systems. 3 Exoplanets have been confirmed this year so far and there are 10,059 Exoplanet Candidates being evaluated for confirmation. Learn about all of the Exoplanets from NASA’s Exoplanet Catalog.