Brief
This report covers the 50th week of the year spanning Friday, December 8th, through Friday, December 15th, 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
- 30yr Average Mortgage rates decline for 7th consecutive week, falling from 7.79% on Oct 26th to 6.95% Dec 14th
- The US National Debt has increased 2.35 Trillion since the National Debt ceiling was suspended on June 1st, 2023
- US Average Regular Gas price has fallen 12 consecutive weeks from $3.878 to $3.136 a gallon
- US Stocks gained this week an average of 2.84%
- The S&P500 Real Estate sector performed the best this week, gaining 5.27%
- The S&P500 Communication Sector performed the worst this week, losing 0.10%
- Solana (SOL) remains the best performing major crypto YTD up 628.7%
View our Economic Indicators Dashboard for up-to-date economic stats.
Economic Reports
Monday, December 11th
- No notable economic reports
Tuesday, December 12th
- CPI for November increased 0.1%, more than the expected 0% and more than last month’s 0%
- Core CPI for November increased 0.3%, matching the expected increase of 0.3% but more than last month’s increase of 0.2%
Wednesday, December 13th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week decreased by 19,000 to 202,000 new claims, reasonably less than the expected 222,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims increased by20,000 to 1.88 million
- PPI for November was 0% change, less than the expected increase of 0.1% but more than last month’s decrease of 0.4%
- Core PPI for November was 0% change, less than the expected increase of 0.2% and the same as last month’s 0%
- FOMC Rate Decision for December, the Fed Decided to keep rates the same between 5.25-5.50%
Thursday, December 14th
- Retail Sales for November increased 0.3%, more than the expected decrease of 0.1% and more than last month’s decrease of 0.2%
- Retail Sales ex-auto for November increased 0.2%, more than the expected decrease of .0% and more than last month’s decrease of .0%
Friday, December 15th
- Industrial Production for November increased 0.2%, less than the expected increase of 0.2% and more than last month’s decrease of 0.9%
- Capacity Utilization for November was 78.8%, less than the expected 79.1% and more than last month’s 78.7%
Next Week’s Major Reports
- Consumer Confidence – Wednesday, December 20th
- Existing Home sales – Wednesday, December 20th
- GDP 3rd Estimate – Thursday, December 21st
- Personal Spending – Friday, December 22nd
- Personal Income – Friday, December 22nd
- PCE Prices – Friday, December 22nd
- New Home sales – Friday, December 22nd
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 | 37,305.16 | 1,057.29 | 2.92% | 36,231.19 | 37,347.60 | 12.54% | ||
| Nasdaq | 14,813.92 | 409.95 | 2.85% | 14,324.57 | 14,855.62 | 41.54% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,719.19 | 114.82 | 2.49% | 4,593.39 | 4,738.57 | 22.91% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 46,761.76 | 1,293.51 | 2.84% | 45,644.95 | 46,803.48 | 22.82% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 237.27 | -0.23 | -0.10% | 235.02 | 237.27 | 48.88% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,416.96 | 47.53 | 3.47% | 1,371.13 | 1,416.96 | 40.92% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 749.43 | 11.68 | 1.58% | 744.87 | 760.76 | -3.81% | ||
| Energy | 638.29 | 15.07 | 2.42% | 615.54 | 641.58 | -5.06% | ||
| Financials | 620.17 | 21.38 | 3.57% | 602.87 | 622.67 | 8.85% | ||
| Health Care | 1,558.59 | 22.91 | 1.49% | 1,545.10 | 1,580.62 | -1.70% | ||
| Industrials | 951.80 | 32.83 | 3.57% | 927.24 | 953.70 | 14.48% | ||
| Information Technology | 3,386.07 | 83.33 | 2.52% | 3,316.60 | 3,386.07 | 55.88% | ||
| Materials | 534.42 | 20.57 | 4.00% | 517.50 | 535.49 | 9.17% | ||
| Real Estate | 249.47 | 12.48 | 5.27% | 237.65 | 252.61 | 7.36% | ||
| Utilities | 322.36 | 2.80 | 0.88% | 320.37 | 332.28 | -10.08% |
Global Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,576.36 | 21.89 | 0.29% | 7,493.59 | 7,724.81 | 1.67% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,596.91 | 70.36 | 0.93% | 7,527.58 | 7,653.99 | 17.35% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 10,095.60 | -127.80 | -1.25% | 10,050.70 | 10,257.80 | 22.68% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 16,751.44 | -7.78 | -0.05% | 16,670.35 | 17,003.28 | 20.31% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 71,483.75 | 1,658.15 | 2.37% | 69,100.56 | 71,605.76 | 17.49% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 2,942.56 | -27.00 | -0.91% | 2,930.42 | 3,003.75 | -4.75% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 16,792.19 | 457.82 | 2.80% | 15,972.31 | 16,964.33 | -15.11% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 32,970.55 | 662.69 | 2.05% | 32,515.04 | 33,172.13 | 26.35% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 7,442.70 | 247.80 | 3.44% | 7,189.90 | 7,462.20 | 5.74% |
Currencies
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3381 | -0.0204 | -1.50% | 1.3351 | 1.3621 | -1.28% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 17.2042 | -0.1509 | -0.87% | 17.1381 | 17.4669 | -11.72% | ||
| ARS Argentinian Peso | 801.08 | 437.16 | 120.13% | 363.74 | 802.42 | 353.25% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 3,943.25 | -38.75 | -0.97% | 3,928.40 | 4,012.56 | -18.67% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 4.9379 | 0.0059 | 0.12% | 4.8766 | 4.9765 | -6.56% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.7889 | -0.0080 | -1.00% | 0.7816 | 0.8000 | -4.56% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9179 | -0.0112 | -1.21% | 0.9081 | 0.9310 | -1.77% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.8711 | -0.0090 | -1.02% | 0.8630 | 0.8817 | -5.84% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 22.4702 | -0.1804 | -0.80% | 22.1350 | 22.7630 | -0.43% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.4618 | -0.4380 | -4.02% | 10.4245 | 11.0171 | 6.65% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 10.2753 | -0.1918 | -1.83% | 10.1943 | 10.5141 | -1.55% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 90.45 | -1.71 | -1.86% | 88.05 | 92.21 | 22.64% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7515 | 0.0010 | 0.03% | 3.7465 | 3.7546 | -0.18% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6726 | 0.0003 | 0.01% | 3.6720 | 3.6730 | 0.00% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 83.04 | -0.40 | -0.48% | 82.95 | 83.48 | 0.35% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 34.91 | -0.64 | -1.80% | 34.75 | 35.84 | 0.84% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3328 | -0.0093 | -0.69% | 1.3252 | 1.3456 | -0.60% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.6705 | 0.0055 | 0.12% | 4.6570 | 4.7075 | 6.03% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 7.1346 | -0.0509 | -0.71% | 7.0976 | 7.2000 | 3.08% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8056 | -0.0038 | -0.05% | 7.8007 | 7.8160 | -0.01% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,300.30 | -17.50 | -1.33% | 1,287.57 | 1,321.09 | 3.04% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 142.16 | -2.79 | -1.92% | 140.96 | 146.58 | 8.42% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.4912 | -0.0283 | -1.86% | 1.4861 | 1.5291 | 1.77% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.6106 | -0.0226 | -1.38% | 1.5997 | 1.6437 | 2.27% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – decreased 9.5 cents or -.294% this week to $3.136 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – decreased by 4.26M barrels last week compared to prior week decrease of 4.63M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – decreased 55 bcf last week compared to prior week decrease of 117 bcf (billion cubic feet)
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2,035.70 | 21.20 | 1.05% | 1,987.90 | 2,062.90 | 11.47% | ||
| Silver | 24.15 | 0.88 | 3.77% | 22.79 | 24.59 | 0.47% | ||
| Platinum | 952.60 | 32.80 | 3.57% | 912.50 | 973.20 | -12.03% | ||
| Palladium | 1,202.40 | 250.80 | 26.36% | 939.50 | 1,206.50 | -33.13% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | 71.43 | 0.20 | 0.28% | 67.71 | 72.46 | -11.00% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.4910 | -0.0900 | -3.49% | 2.2350 | 2.5440 | -39.30% | ||
| Gasoline | 2.1370 | 0.0872 | 4.25% | 1.9672 | 2.1567 | -13.77% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | 540.00 | 9.50 | 1.79% | 533.00 | 544.00 | 44.50% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 1,068.00 | -2.00 | -0.19% | 1,066.00 | 1,077.00 | 43.55% | ||
| Copper | 3.8905 | 0.0600 | 1.57% | 3.7530 | 3.9165 | 2.10% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 4.8300 | -0.0250 | -0.51% | 4.7750 | 4.8800 | -28.81% | ||
| Wheat | 6.2925 | -0.0250 | -0.40% | 6.0250 | 6.3325 | -20.55% | ||
| Soybeans | 13.1575 | 0.1175 | 0.90% | 13.0250 | 13.4400 | -13.66% | ||
| Coffee | 1.8930 | 0.1215 | 6.86% | 1.7615 | 1.9450 | 13.15% | ||
| Sugar | 0.2199 | -0.0137 | -5.86% | 0.2116 | 0.2349 | 9.73% | ||
| Cocoa | 4,244.00 | -27.00 | -0.63% | 4,189.00 | 4,317.00 | 63.23% | ||
| Cotton | 0.7993 | -0.0151 | -1.85% | 0.7983 | 0.8250 | -4.13% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1.6935 | 0.0363 | 2.19% | 1.6488 | 1.6975 | 7.25% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.7190 | 0.0293 | 4.24% | 0.6623 | 0.7198 | -18.02% | ||
| Feeder Cattle | 2.2090 | 0.0560 | 2.60% | 2.1325 | 2.2150 | 20.25% |
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 6.95% from 7.03% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – increased by 7.4% this week compared to the prior week increase of 2.8%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 5.370% | -0.018% | 5.326% | 5.439% | ||
| US 3 Month | 5.380% | 0.000% | 5.363% | 5.455% | ||
| US 1 Year | 4.954% | -0.164% | 4.839% | 5.151% | ||
| US 5 Year | 3.918% | -0.325% | 3.849% | 4.297% | ||
| US 10 Year | 3.914% | -0.316% | 3.886% | 4.288% | ||
| US 30 Year | 4.012% | -0.294% | 4.000% | 4.367% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – decreased 3.05% or -50.3B this week to 1,600B
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 41,953.42 | -2,245.91 | -5.08% | 40,375.19 | 44,344.36 | 153.53% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 2,226.26 | -139.53 | -5.90% | 2,159.38 | 2,408.19 | 86.02% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 244.64 | 5.57 | 2.33% | 231.15 | 256.50 | -0.69% | ||
| 4 | XRP | 0.6161 | -0.0572 | -8.49% | 0.5991 | 0.6970 | 81.24% | ||
| 5 | SOL | 72.58 | -2.17 | -2.91% | 64.51 | 79.21 | 628.72% | ||
| 6 | ADA | 0.6004 | 0.0542 | 9.93% | 0.5252 | 0.6770 | 143.59% | ||
| 7 | AVAX | 39.87 | 9.18 | 29.91% | 30.73 | 42.76 | 265.81% | ||
| 8 | DOGE | 0.0930 | -0.0085 | -8.41% | 0.0904 | 0.1047 | 32.31% | ||
| 9 | TRX | 0.1017 | -0.0052 | -4.86% | 0.1017 | 0.1088 | 86.55% | ||
| 10 | DOT | 6.9380 | 0.0937 | 1.37% | 6.4285 | 7.7393 | 60.98% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
Fascinating Stats
US National Debt
The US National Debt increased 10.1 billion (Wednesday, December 6th to Wednesday, December 13th), to a total debt of $33,828,210,586,703.42 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 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 126 from 121 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 0 new exoplanets this week, the total has remained the same at 5,557 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 4,270 confirmed Planetary Systems. 316 Exoplanets have been confirmed this year so far and there are 10,053 Exoplanet Candidates being evaluated for confirmation. Learn about all of the Exoplanets from NASA’s Exoplanet Catalog.