Brief
This report covers the 51st week of the year spanning Friday, December 15th, through Friday, December 22nd, 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 8th consecutive week, falling from 7.79% on Oct 26th to 6.67% Dec 21st
- The US National Debt has increased 2.41 Trillion since the National Debt ceiling was suspended on June 1st, 2023
- NASA has confirmed and catalogued 9 new exoplanets this week
- US Average Regular Gas price has fallen 13 consecutive weeks from $3.878 to $3.053 a gallon
- US Stocks gained this week an average of 0.94%
- The S&P500 Communication Services sector performed the best this week, gaining 4.10%
- The S&P500 Utilities Sector performed the worst this week, losing 1.27%
- Solana (SOL) remains the best performing major crypto YTD up 887.09%
View our Economic Indicators Dashboard for up-to-date economic stats.
Economic Reports
Monday, December 18th
- No notable economic reports
Tuesday, December 19th
- Housing Starts for November increased 14.8% to an annually adjusted rate of 1,560K, more than the expected rate of 1,360K and more than last month’s rate of 1,359K
- Building Permits for November decreased 2.5% to an annually adjusted rate of 1,460K, less than the expected rate of 1,460K and less than last month’s rate of 1,498K
Wednesday, December 20th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week increased by 2,000 to 205,000 new claims, reasonably less than the expected 218,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims decreased by 1,000 to 1.87 million
- Consumer Confidence for December was 110.7, more than the expected 104.0 and more than last month’s 101.0
- Existing Home Sales for November increased 0.8% to an annually adjusted rate of 3.82M, more than the expected rate of 3.80M and more than last month’s rate of 3.79M
Thursday, December 21st
- GDP – Third Estimate for Q3 was 4.9%, less than the expected 5.2% and less than last quarter’s 5.2%
- GDP Deflator – Third Estimate for Q3 was 3.3%, less than the expected 3.6% and less than last quarter’s 3.6%
- Leading Indicators for November decreased 0.5%, more than the expected decrease of 0.4% and but less than last month’s decrease of 1.0%
Friday, December 22nd
- Personal Income for November increased 0.4%, matching expectations and more than last month’s increase of 0.3%
- Personal Spending for November increased 0.2%, matching expectations and more than last month’s increase of 0.1%
- PCE Prices for November decreased 0.1%, matching expectations but less than last month’s 0%
- PCE Prices – Core for November increased 0.1%, less than the expected increase of 0.2% and less than last month’s increase of 0.1%
- New Home Sales for November decreased 12.2% to an annually adjusted rate of 590K, less than the expected rate of 689K and less than last month’s rate of 672K
Next Week’s Major Reports
- FHFA Housing Price Index – Tuesday, December 26th
- Chicago PMI – Friday, December 29th
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 | 37,385.97 | 80.81 | 0.22% | 37,073.04 | 37,641.30 | 12.79% | ||
| Nasdaq | 14,992.97 | 179.05 | 1.21% | 14,776.29 | 15,069.29 | 43.25% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,754.63 | 35.44 | 0.75% | 4,697.82 | 4,778.01 | 23.83% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 47,201.13 | 439.37 | 0.94% | 46,569.76 | 47,296.79 | 23.97% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 247.00 | 9.73 | 4.10% | 241.75 | 247.00 | 54.99% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,424.21 | 7.25 | 0.51% | 1,413.11 | 1,438.20 | 41.64% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 754.16 | 4.73 | 0.63% | 743.89 | 759.22 | -3.20% | ||
| Energy | 648.91 | 10.62 | 1.66% | 643.17 | 651.04 | -3.48% | ||
| Financials | 621.91 | 1.74 | 0.28% | 615.11 | 625.85 | 9.16% | ||
| Health Care | 1,575.27 | 16.68 | 1.07% | 1,549.01 | 1,575.27 | -0.65% | ||
| Industrials | 957.94 | 6.14 | 0.65% | 943.72 | 959.43 | 15.22% | ||
| Information Technology | 3,388.11 | 2.04 | 0.06% | 3,350.76 | 3,403.30 | 55.98% | ||
| Materials | 540.47 | 6.05 | 1.13% | 531.67 | 540.47 | 10.40% | ||
| Real Estate | 250.10 | 0.63 | 0.25% | 247.03 | 250.32 | 7.63% | ||
| Utilities | 318.28 | -4.08 | -1.27% | 316.81 | 323.21 | -11.21% |
Global Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,697.51 | 121.15 | 1.60% | 7,557.24 | 7,762.88 | 3.30% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,568.82 | -28.09 | -0.37% | 7,537.81 | 7,604.96 | 16.92% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 10,111.90 | 16.30 | 0.16% | 10,023.80 | 10,158.20 | 22.88% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 16,706.18 | -45.26 | -0.27% | 16,624.16 | 16,789.96 | 19.98% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 71,106.96 | -376.79 | -0.53% | 69,920.39 | 71,913.07 | 16.87% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 2,914.78 | -27.78 | -0.94% | 2,882.02 | 2,951.15 | -5.65% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 16,340.41 | -451.78 | -2.69% | 16,271.50 | 16,857.84 | -17.40% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 33,169.05 | 198.50 | 0.60% | 32,541.23 | 33,824.06 | 27.11% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 7,501.60 | 58.90 | 0.79% | 7,406.40 | 7,552.30 | 6.58% |
Currencies
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3267 | -0.0114 | -0.85% | 1.3220 | 1.3411 | -2.12% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 16.9769 | -0.2273 | -1.32% | 16.9318 | 17.2995 | -12.88% | ||
| ARS Argentinian Peso | 804.80 | 3.72 | 0.46% | 800.12 | 805.09 | 355.36% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 3,899.03 | -44.22 | -1.12% | 3,893.00 | 3,996.88 | -19.59% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 4.8590 | -0.0789 | -1.60% | 4.8488 | 4.9516 | -8.06% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.7875 | -0.0014 | -0.18% | 0.7825 | 0.8024 | -4.73% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9080 | -0.0099 | -1.08% | 0.9057 | 0.9182 | -2.83% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.8559 | -0.0152 | -1.74% | 0.8513 | 0.8713 | -7.48% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 22.3271 | -0.1431 | -0.64% | 22.2527 | 22.5200 | -1.07% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.2026 | -0.2592 | -2.48% | 10.1530 | 10.4828 | 4.01% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 10.0027 | -0.2726 | -2.65% | 9.9683 | 10.3364 | -4.16% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 92.13 | 1.68 | 1.86% | 89.55 | 93.15 | 24.92% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7511 | -0.0004 | -0.01% | 3.7465 | 3.7527 | -0.19% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6727 | 0.0001 | 0.00% | 3.6722 | 3.6730 | 0.00% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 83.34 | 0.30 | 0.36% | 82.94 | 83.34 | 0.71% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 34.61 | -0.30 | -0.86% | 34.45 | 35.05 | -0.03% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3233 | -0.0095 | -0.71% | 1.3219 | 1.3357 | -1.31% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.6320 | -0.0385 | -0.82% | 4.6180 | 4.7000 | 5.15% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 7.1531 | 0.0185 | 0.26% | 7.1192 | 7.1637 | 3.35% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8128 | 0.0072 | 0.09% | 7.7907 | 7.8241 | 0.08% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,298.69 | -1.61 | -0.12% | 1,293.86 | 1,310.32 | 2.91% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 142.46 | 0.30 | 0.21% | 141.88 | 144.96 | 8.65% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.4708 | -0.0204 | -1.37% | 1.4650 | 1.4928 | 0.38% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.5883 | -0.0223 | -1.38% | 1.5825 | 1.6166 | 0.86% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – decreased 8.3 cents or -2.65% this week to $3.053 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – increased by 2.91M barrels last week compared to prior week decrease of 4.26M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – decreased 87 bcf last week compared to prior week decrease of 55 bcf (billion cubic feet)
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2,069.10 | 33.40 | 1.64% | 2,029.50 | 2,083.00 | 13.30% | ||
| Silver | 24.57 | 0.41 | 1.70% | 23.96 | 24.90 | 2.18% | ||
| Platinum | 981.80 | 29.20 | 3.07% | 944.30 | 988.60 | -9.34% | ||
| Palladium | 1,223.70 | 21.30 | 1.77% | 1,158.00 | 1,260.00 | -31.94% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | 73.56 | 2.13 | 2.98% | 70.64 | 75.37 | -8.35% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.6100 | 0.1190 | 4.78% | 2.3850 | 2.6200 | -36.40% | ||
| Gasoline | 2.1415 | 0.0045 | 0.21% | 2.1010 | 2.2163 | -13.59% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | 558.00 | 18.00 | 3.33% | 539.00 | 568.00 | 49.32% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 1,126.00 | 58.00 | 5.43% | 1,065.00 | 1,136.00 | 51.34% | ||
| Copper | 3.9050 | 0.0145 | 0.37% | 3.8410 | 3.9450 | 2.48% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 4.7300 | -0.1000 | -2.07% | 4.6825 | 4.8275 | -30.29% | ||
| Wheat | 6.1625 | -0.1300 | -2.07% | 6.0900 | 6.3200 | -22.19% | ||
| Soybeans | 13.0625 | -0.0950 | -0.72% | 12.9825 | 13.4050 | -14.29% | ||
| Coffee | 1.9280 | 0.0350 | 1.85% | 1.8680 | 2.0390 | 15.24% | ||
| Sugar | 0.2062 | -0.0137 | -6.23% | 0.2012 | 0.2199 | 2.89% | ||
| Cocoa | 4,311.00 | 67.00 | 1.58% | 4,241.00 | 4,334.00 | 65.81% | ||
| Cotton | 0.7976 | -0.0017 | -0.21% | 0.7831 | 0.8089 | -4.33% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1.6853 | -0.0083 | -0.49% | 1.6785 | 1.7100 | 6.73% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.7135 | -0.0055 | -0.76% | 0.6975 | 0.7245 | -18.64% | ||
| Feeder Cattle | 2.2275 | 0.0185 | 0.84% | 2.2123 | 2.2523 | 21.26% |
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 – decreased this week to 6.67% from 6.95% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – decreased by 1.5% this week compared to the prior week increase of 7.4%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 5.341% | -0.029% | 5.319% | 5.393% | ||
| US 3 Month | 5.377% | -0.003% | 5.358% | 5.429% | ||
| US 1 Year | 4.857% | -0.097% | 4.821% | 4.981% | ||
| US 5 Year | 3.872% | -0.046% | 3.806% | 3.959% | ||
| US 10 Year | 3.897% | -0.017% | 3.828% | 3.975% | ||
| US 30 Year | 4.052% | 0.040% | 3.977% | 4.084% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – increased 3.19% or 50.97B this week to 1,651B
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 43,948.89 | 1,995.47 | 4.76% | 40,660.03 | 44,358.59 | 165.59% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 2,334.57 | 108.31 | 4.87% | 2,132.71 | 2,348.54 | 95.07% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 271.48 | 26.84 | 10.97% | 233.12 | 276.09 | 10.20% | ||
| 4 | SOL | 98.31 | 25.73 | 35.46% | 67.42 | 99.31 | 887.09% | ||
| 5 | XRP | 0.6266 | 0.0105 | 1.71% | 0.5850 | 0.6279 | 84.34% | ||
| 6 | ADA | 0.6244 | 0.0240 | 4.00% | 0.5474 | 0.6507 | 153.33% | ||
| 7 | AVAX | 45.53 | 5.65 | 14.18% | 36.74 | 48.70 | 317.68% | ||
| 8 | DOGE | 0.0954 | 0.0024 | 2.55% | 0.0872 | 0.0977 | 35.68% | ||
| 9 | TRX | 0.1053 | 0.0037 | 3.59% | 0.0983 | 0.1053 | 93.25% | ||
| 10 | DOT | 7.9781 | 1.0401 | 14.99% | 6.4082 | 8.5206 | 85.11% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
Fascinating Stats
US National Debt
The US National Debt increased 42.3 billion (Wednesday, December 13th to Wednesday, December 20th), to a total debt of $33,870,523,504,708.77 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 decreased this week to 123 from 126 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 9 new exoplanets this week, the total has increased to 5,566 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 4,278 confirmed Planetary Systems. 325 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.