Brief
This report covers the 13th week of the year spanning Friday, March 17th, through Friday, March 31st, 2023.
- Solana (SOL) is the top performing asset up 112.6% YTD
- Ripple (XRP) surged 26.4% this week
- In Stocks all S&P500 sectors up this week
- S&P500 Real Estate, Materials and Consumer Staples sectors all flip positive YTD
- GDP Q4 3rd Estimate is 2.6%
- Q4 Government spending increased 3.6%
Economic Reports
Monday Mar 27th
- No notable economic reports
Tuesday Mar 28th
- Consumer Confidence for March was 104.2 a slight increase from February’s 103.4
Wednesday Mar 29th
- Pending Home Sales for February increased 0.8% much higher than the expected -2.3 and but much less than January’s increase of 8.1%
Thursday Mar 30th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week increased by 7,000 to 198,000 new claims, inline with the expected 196,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims increased by 4,000 to 1.689 million
- GDP 3rd Estimate for Q4 shows economic growth revised downward to 2.6% from the 2nd estimate of 2.7%
- GDP Price Deflator 3rd Estimate for Q4 was unrevised at 3.9% from the 2nd Estimate
Friday Mar 31st
- Personal Income for February increased 0.3% month-over-month less than January’s increase of 0.6%
- Personal Spending for February increased 0.2% month-over month, less than January’s increase of 2.0%
- PCE Prices for February increased 0.3% month-over-month less than January’s increase of 0.6%. PCE is up 5.0% year-over-year.
- PCE Prices Core (Excludes food and energy) for February increased 0.3% month-over-month less than January’s increase of 0.5%. Core PCE is up 4.6% year-over-year.
Next Week’s Major Reports
- ISM Manufacturing Index – Monday April 3rd
- ISM Non-Manufacturing Index – Wednesday April 5th
- Nonfarm Payroll – Friday April 7th
- Unemployment Rate – Friday April 7th
See more Economic News at Briefing.com or learn about each economic report on our education page
US Stocks
US stocks jumped this week being up an average of 3.69%. In Sector indices Energy has been one of the worst performing YTD but surged 6.17% this week while Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate also jumped up 5.58% and 5.16% respectively.
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJIA | 33,274.15 | 1,036.62 | 3.22% | 32,276.72 | 33,291.00 | 0.38% | ||
| Nasdaq | 12,221.91 | 397.95 | 3.37% | 11,635.03 | 12,227.93 | 16.77% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,109.31 | 138.32 | 3.48% | 3,951.53 | 4,110.75 | 7.03% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 40,708.47 | 1,449.11 | 3.69% | 39,318.14 | 40,708.47 | 6.92% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 191.53 | 2.76 | 1.46% | 184.84 | 191.53 | 20.18% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,163.98 | 61.51 | 5.58% | 1,103.20 | 1,163.98 | 15.76% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 780.38 | 19.04 | 2.50% | 765.48 | 780.38 | 0.16% | ||
| Energy | 634.90 | 36.87 | 6.17% | 610.60 | 634.90 | -5.57% | ||
| Financials | 535.28 | 19.31 | 3.74% | 522.90 | 535.28 | -6.05% | ||
| Health Care | 1,510.73 | 26.08 | 1.76% | 1,482.26 | 1,510.73 | -4.72% | ||
| Industrials | 856.59 | 36.11 | 4.40% | 827.24 | 856.59 | 3.03% | ||
| Information Technology | 2,638.98 | 86.94 | 3.41% | 2,518.77 | 2,638.98 | 21.49% | ||
| Materials | 507.92 | 23.87 | 4.93% | 487.64 | 507.92 | 3.75% | ||
| Real Estate | 234.78 | 11.52 | 5.16% | 221.87 | 234.78 | 1.04% | ||
| Utilities | 344.01 | 10.19 | 3.05% | 334.24 | 344.01 | -4.04% |
Global Stocks
Stocks fared well around the world this week with European Indices leading the rise and even outperforming US Indices for the week.
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,631.74 | 226.29 | 3.06% | 7,405.45 | 7,654.41 | 2.42% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,322.39 | 307.29 | 4.38% | 7,039.09 | 7,341.79 | 13.11% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 9,232.50 | 440.00 | 5.00% | 8,839.80 | 9,254.50 | 12.19% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 15,628.84 | 671.61 | 4.49% | 15,020.07 | 15,659.06 | 12.25% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 58,991.52 | 1,464.42 | 2.55% | 57,415.02 | 59,068.47 | -3.04% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 3,272.86 | 7.21 | 0.22% | 3,220.98 | 3,278.42 | 5.94% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 20,400.11 | 484.43 | 2.43% | 19,509.49 | 20,721.97 | 3.13% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 28,041.48 | 656.23 | 2.40% | 27,359.72 | 28,124.62 | 7.46% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 7,177.80 | 222.60 | 3.20% | 6,959.90 | 7,183.10 | 1.98% |
Currencies
The US Dollar (USD) was solidly down across the Americas and Europe but mixed throughout Asia.
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3519 | -0.0228 | -1.66% | 1.3508 | 1.3747 | -0.26% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 18.0182 | -0.4038 | -2.19% | 17.9904 | 18.4644 | -7.54% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 4,650.00 | -100.23 | -2.11% | 4,571.90 | 4,754.37 | -4.10% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 5.0640 | -0.1823 | -3.47% | 5.0553 | 5.2496 | -4.18% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.8107 | -0.0069 | -0.84% | 0.8049 | 0.8185 | -1.92% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9223 | -0.0069 | -0.74% | 0.9151 | 0.9307 | -1.29% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.9152 | -0.0047 | -0.51% | 0.9116 | 0.9259 | -1.07% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 21.6474 | -0.3545 | -1.61% | 21.5270 | 22.0934 | -4.08% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.4733 | -0.0103 | -0.10% | 10.3459 | 10.5622 | 6.77% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 10.3824 | -0.0420 | -0.40% | 10.3079 | 10.4510 | -0.53% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 78.00 | 0.72 | 0.93% | 75.50 | 80.68 | 5.76% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7535 | -0.0031 | -0.08% | 3.7504 | 3.7581 | -0.12% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6727 | 0.0002 | 0.01% | 3.6721 | 3.6731 | 0.00% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 82.18 | -0.16 | -0.19% | 82.03 | 82.44 | -0.69% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 34.16 | 0.02 | 0.06% | 33.74 | 34.48 | -1.33% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3313 | -0.0006 | -0.05% | 1.3254 | 1.3351 | -0.72% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.4125 | -0.0155 | -0.35% | 4.3850 | 4.4335 | 0.17% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 6.8744 | 0.0056 | 0.08% | 6.8440 | 6.9122 | -0.68% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8491 | -0.0008 | -0.01% | 7.8474 | 7.8502 | 0.55% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,306.48 | 10.59 | 0.82% | 1,288.62 | 1,308.18 | 3.53% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 132.76 | 2.05 | 1.57% | 130.41 | 133.60 | 1.25% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.4957 | -0.0090 | -0.60% | 1.4839 | 1.5077 | 2.08% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.5982 | -0.0142 | -0.88% | 1.5878 | 1.6181 | 1.49% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – decreased 0.1 cents or 0.0% this week to $3.421 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – decreased by 7.49M barrels last week compared to prior week increase of 1.12M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – decreased 47 bcf last week compared to prior week decrease of 72 bcf (billion cubic feet)
Fuels were mixed this week with Crude Oil jumping 9.25% while Natural Gas continues to decline, dropping 6.14%, down 46% YTD.
In Construction Materials Steel took a break from rising sharply over the past few weeks and closed the week down 4.40% and Lumber dropped 10.18% closing at $371.40 basically back to flat YTD.
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1,986.20 | 2.40 | 0.12% | 1,945.00 | 2,005.50 | 8.76% | ||
| Silver | 24.16 | 0.82 | 3.50% | 22.96 | 24.31 | 0.48% | ||
| Platinum | 1,003.10 | 19.20 | 1.95% | 959.20 | 1,005.00 | -7.37% | ||
| Palladium | 1,468.00 | 53.60 | 3.79% | 1,386.50 | 1,503.50 | -18.35% | ||
| Crude Oil | 75.67 | 6.41 | 9.25% | 69.13 | 75.72 | -5.72% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.2160 | -0.1450 | -6.14% | 2.0740 | 2.2990 | -46.00% | ||
| Lumber | 371.40 | -42.10 | -10.18% | 368.60 | 410.90 | -0.62% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 1,107.00 | -51.00 | -4.40% | 1,100.00 | 1,163.00 | 48.79% | ||
| Copper | 4.0945 | 0.0195 | 0.48% | 4.0215 | 4.1345 | 7.45% | ||
| Corn | 6.6050 | 0.1750 | 2.72% | 6.3700 | 6.6450 | -2.65% | ||
| Wheat | 6.9225 | 0.0375 | 0.54% | 6.8025 | 7.2400 | -12.59% | ||
| Soybeans | 15.0550 | 0.7725 | 5.41% | 14.2325 | 15.1375 | -1.21% | ||
| Coffee | 1.7050 | -0.0875 | -4.88% | 1.6615 | 1.8400 | 1.91% | ||
| Cattle | 1.6213 | 0.0553 | 3.53% | 1.5695 | 1.6218 | 2.68% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.9163 | 0.0020 | 0.22% | 0.9043 | 0.9470 | 4.48% |
Interest Rates
- Federal Funds Effective Rate – remained the same this week at 4.83% with the target rate between 4.75-5.00% since the March 22nd, 2023 increase of 25 basis points. See more about the Federal Funds Rate.
- 30 Year Average US Mortgage Rates – decreased this week to 6.32% from 6.42% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – increased by 2.9% this week compared to the prior week increase of 3.0%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 4.577% | 0.557% | 3.907% | 4.623% | ||
| US 3 Month | 4.755% | 0.106% | 4.532% | 7.748% | ||
| US 1 Year | 4.689% | 0.370% | 4.310% | 4.700% | ||
| US 5 Year | 3.580% | 0.166% | 3.400% | 3.734% | ||
| US 10 Year | 3.471% | 0.095% | 3.372% | 3.611% | ||
| US 30 Year | 3.653% | 0.004% | 3.631% | 3.813% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – increased 2.6% or 30.0B this week to 1,185B
- Bitcoin Supply – 6,356 more Bitcoin have been mined this week, the total supply is now 19,333,653 out of the max supply of 21M. The max supply is 92.07% mined.
Cryptos moved a little higher this week with BTC gaining $985 or 3.58%, however Ripple (XRP) surged 26.44%.
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | % of Market** | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 28,478.48 | 985.19 | 3.58% | 46.44% | 26,606.69 | 29,159.90 | 72.10% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 1,822.02 | 69.98 | 3.99% | 18.51% | 1,690.52 | 1,844.68 | 52.24% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 317.04 | -5.32 | -1.65% | 4.22% | 306.45 | 329.57 | 28.69% | ||
| 4 | XRP | 0.5385 | 0.1126 | 26.44% | 2.35% | 0.4242 | 0.5804 | 58.43% | ||
| 5 | ADA | 0.3989 | 0.0388 | 10.77% | 1.17% | 0.3387 | 0.4079 | 61.83% | ||
| 6 | DOGE | 0.0770 | 0.0024 | 3.15% | 0.90% | 0.0718 | 0.0777 | 9.59% | ||
| 7 | MATIC | 1.1192 | 0.0218 | 1.99% | 0.86% | 1.0302 | 1.1439 | 47.55% | ||
| 8 | SOL | 21.17 | 0.49 | 2.37% | 0.69% | 19.51 | 21.59 | 112.55% | ||
| 9 | DOT | 6.3410 | 0.3130 | 5.19% | 0.63% | 5.7720 | 6.3741 | 47.12% | ||
| 10 | LTC | 89.68 | -4.03 | -4.30% | 0.55% | 86.03 | 94.64 | 28.11% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
** Represents the % of the total crypto market cap
Other Fascinating Stats
The US National Debt decreased 1.02 billion (Wednesday Mar 22nd to Wednesday Mar 29th), to a total debt of $31,459,394,182,174.14 according to the Treasury Department. The National Debt has surpassed congresses approved debt limit of 31.381 trillion for over 9 weeks now. See the Debt to the Penny.
The number of solar Sunspots (magnetic storms on the surface of the sun) increased this week to 99 from 108 last week, the sun has had 0 spotless days in 2023. See more about Sunspots and space weather.
NASA has cataloged 0 new exoplanets this week keeping the total at 5,312 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 3,981 confirmed Planetary Systems. 71 Exoplanets have been confirmed this year so far and there are 9,343 Exoplanet Candidates being evaluated for confirmation. Learn about all of the Exoplanets from NASA’s Exoplanet Catalog.