Brief
This report covers the 4th week of the year spanning Friday, January 19th, through Friday, January 26th, 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 2.62 Trillion since the National Debt ceiling was suspended on June 1st, 2023
- US Stocks post an average gain of 1.08% for the week
- The S&P500 Energy sector performed the best this week, gaining 5.15%
- The S&P500 Consumer Discretionary Sector performed the worst this week, dropping 1.40%
- The Crypto Market was down 1.3%% with Ethereum (ETH) leading the decline falling $220.51 or -8.84% to close the week at 2,273.85
- Tron (TRX) is the best performing major crypto so far YTD up 5.96%
- Lean Hogs commodity futures are up 22.47% YTD, followed by Sugar prices up 15.5% YTD
View our Economic Indicators Dashboard for up-to-date economic stats.
Economic Reports
Monday, January 22nd
- No notable economic reports
Tuesday, January 23rd
- No notable economic reports
Wednesday, January 24th
- No notable economic reports
Thursday, January 25th
- Initial Jobless Claims for last week increased by 25,000 to 214,000 new claims, reasonably higher than the expected 200,000
- Continuing Jobless Claims increased by 27,000 to 1.83 million
- Durable Orders for December decreased .0%, less than the expected increase of 0.1% and less than the prior month’s increase of 5.5%
- Durable Goods –ex transportation for December increased 0.6%, more than the expected increase of 0.2% and more than the prior month’s increase of 0.5%
- GDP-Adv. for last week was 3.3%, more than the expected 2.0% and less than the prior week’s 4.9%
- Chain Deflator-Adv. for last week was 1.5%, less than the expected 2.8% and less than the prior week’s 3.3%
- New Home Sales for December increased 664K, more than the expected increase of 640K and more than the prior month’s increase of 615K
Friday, January 26th
- Personal Income for December increased 0.3%, matching expectations but less than the prior month’s increase of 0.4%
- Personal Spending for December increased 0.7%, more than the expected increase of 0.4% and more than the prior month’s increase of 0.4%
- PCE Prices for December increased 0.2%, matching expectations and more than the prior month’s decrease of 0.1%
- PCE Prices – Core for December increased 0.2%, matching expectations and more than the prior month’s increase of 0.1%
- Pending Home Sales for December increased 8.3%, more than the expected increase of 2.3% and more than the prior month’s decrease of 0.3%
Next Week’s Major Reports
- Consumer Confidence – Tuesday, January 30th
- FOMC Rate Decision – Wednesday, January 31st
- Preliminary Productivity – Thursday, February 1st
- Nonfarm Payrolls- Friday, February 2nd
- Unemployment Rate, February 2nd
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 | 38,109.43 | 245.63 | 0.65% | 37,795.71 | 38,215.31 | 1.11% | ||
| Nasdaq | 15,455.36 | 144.39 | 0.94% | 15,333.63 | 15,629.07 | 2.96% | ||
| S&P 500 | 4,890.97 | 51.16 | 1.06% | 4,844.05 | 4,906.69 | 2.54% | ||
| Wilshire 5000 | 48,227.60 | 514.86 | 1.08% | 47,905.55 | 48,233.97 | 1.92% |
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | 268.00 | 11.58 | 4.52% | 256.51 | 268.00 | 8.94% | ||
| Consumer Discretionary | 1,377.67 | -19.56 | -1.40% | 1,370.13 | 1,389.99 | -2.85% | ||
| Consumer Staples | 769.72 | 6.35 | 0.83% | 758.56 | 769.72 | 0.97% | ||
| Energy | 643.85 | 31.52 | 5.15% | 614.12 | 643.85 | 0.59% | ||
| Financials | 642.82 | 11.86 | 1.88% | 633.67 | 642.82 | 2.63% | ||
| Health Care | 1,622.26 | -3.73 | -0.23% | 1,612.81 | 1,632.17 | 2.01% | ||
| Industrials | 960.37 | 8.25 | 0.87% | 952.46 | 961.74 | -0.45% | ||
| Information Technology | 3,598.29 | 33.08 | 0.93% | 3,578.97 | 3,636.54 | 5.92% | ||
| Materials | 520.05 | 1.50 | 0.29% | 514.46 | 521.76 | -3.63% | ||
| Real Estate | 241.83 | -1.24 | -0.51% | 239.60 | 244.14 | -3.88% | ||
| Utilities | 311.10 | 1.31 | 0.42% | 304.64 | 311.10 | -3.36% |
Global Stocks
| Index | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK FTSE 100 | 7,635.09 | 173.16 | 2.32% | 7,455.97 | 7,651.75 | -1.27% | ||
| France CAC 40 | 7,634.14 | 262.50 | 3.56% | 7,373.22 | 7,645.74 | 1.21% | ||
| Spain IBEX 35 | 9,936.60 | 78.30 | 0.79% | 9,845.10 | 10,000.60 | -1.64% | ||
| Germany DAX 40 | 16,961.39 | 406.26 | 2.45% | 16,607.72 | 16,967.72 | 1.25% | ||
| India BSE Sensex | 0.00 | -71,683.23 | -100.00% | 0.00 | 0.00 | -100.00% | ||
| China Shanghai Comp | 2,910.22 | 77.94 | 2.75% | 2,724.16 | 2,924.31 | -2.18% | ||
| HK Hang Seng 50 | 15,952.23 | 643.54 | 4.20% | 14,794.16 | 16,254.93 | -6.42% | ||
| Japan Nikkei 225 | 35,751.07 | -212.20 | -0.59% | 35,687.58 | 36,984.51 | 6.83% | ||
| Australia ASX 200 | 0.00 | -7,421.20 | -100.00% | 0.00 | 0.00 | -100.00% |
Currencies
| Currency | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Canadian Dollar | 1.3458 | 0.0028 | 0.21% | 1.3416 | 1.3537 | 1.59% | ||
| MXN Mexican Peso | 17.1602 | 0.0776 | 0.45% | 17.0572 | 17.3876 | 1.11% | ||
| ARS Argentinian Peso | 823.55 | 3.80 | 0.46% | 819.45 | 824.72 | 1.87% | ||
| COP Colombian Peso | 3,910.50 | -8.10 | -0.21% | 3,753.00 | 3,963.40 | 0.91% | ||
| BRL Brazilian Real | 4.9167 | -0.0148 | -0.30% | 4.9026 | 5.0015 | 1.32% | ||
| GBP British Pound Sterling | 0.7872 | 0.0001 | 0.01% | 0.7828 | 0.7907 | 0.23% | ||
| EUR Euro | 0.9213 | 0.0035 | 0.38% | 0.9146 | 0.9249 | 1.69% | ||
| CHF Swiss Franc | 0.8641 | -0.0040 | -0.46% | 0.8606 | 0.8730 | 2.66% | ||
| CZK Czech Koruna | 22.8321 | 0.0862 | 0.38% | 22.6773 | 22.9812 | 2.03% | ||
| NOK Norwegian Krone | 10.4289 | -0.0597 | -0.57% | 10.3865 | 10.5507 | 2.51% | ||
| SEK Swedish Krona | 10.4474 | -0.0198 | -0.19% | 10.3672 | 10.5148 | 3.41% | ||
| RUB Russian Ruble | 90.93 | 2.76 | 3.13% | 88.00 | 90.93 | 1.88% | ||
| SAR Saudi Riyal | 3.7502 | -0.0005 | -0.01% | 3.7494 | 3.7514 | 0.00% | ||
| AED UAE Dirham | 3.6730 | 0.0001 | 0.00% | 3.6727 | 3.6732 | 0.01% | ||
| INR Indian Rupee | 83.12 | -0.03 | -0.04% | 83.05 | 83.24 | -0.08% | ||
| THB Thai Baht | 35.65 | 0.13 | 0.37% | 35.43 | 35.89 | 3.69% | ||
| SGD Singapore Dollar | 1.3413 | -0.0003 | -0.02% | 1.3360 | 1.3429 | 1.64% | ||
| MYR Malaysian Ringgit | 4.7275 | 0.0100 | 0.21% | 4.7105 | 4.7401 | 2.88% | ||
| CNH Chinese Yuan | 7.1869 | -0.0163 | -0.23% | 7.1415 | 7.2100 | 0.84% | ||
| HKD Hong Kong Dollar | 7.8154 | -0.0028 | -0.04% | 7.8122 | 7.8250 | 0.07% | ||
| KRW South Korean Won | 1,337.33 | 3.22 | 0.24% | 1,328.61 | 1,342.85 | 3.31% | ||
| JPY Japanese Yen | 148.16 | 0.01 | 0.01% | 146.66 | 148.71 | 5.06% | ||
| AUD Australian Dollar | 1.5214 | 0.0055 | 0.36% | 1.5101 | 1.5265 | 3.68% | ||
| NZD New Zealand Dollar | 1.6439 | 0.0096 | 0.59% | 1.6260 | 1.6496 | 3.88% |
* Rates are quoted as the amount of local currency to buy 1 US Dollar.
Commodities
- Average US Regular Gas Price – increased 0.4 cents or 0.13% this week to $3.062 a gallon. See more about US Regular Gas Prices.
- EIA Crude Oil Inventories – decreased by 9.23M barrels last week compared to prior week decrease of 2.49M
- EIA Natural Gas Inventories – decreased 326 bcf last week compared to prior week decrease of 154 bcf (billion cubic feet)
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2,017.30 | -12.00 | -0.59% | 2,004.00 | 2,039.30 | -2.63% | ||
| Silver | 22.87 | 0.16 | 0.71% | 22.04 | 23.16 | -5.04% | ||
| Platinum | 921.30 | 14.30 | 1.58% | 892.50 | 924.90 | -8.71% | ||
| Palladium | 961.40 | 12.70 | 1.34% | 915.00 | 979.50 | -13.33% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Oil | 78.01 | 4.60 | 6.27% | 72.85 | 78.26 | 8.88% | ||
| Natural Gas | 2.1750 | -0.0770 | -3.42% | 2.0790 | 2.3340 | -6.53% | ||
| Gasoline | 2.3258 | 0.1630 | 7.54% | 2.1512 | 2.3340 | 10.42% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | 576.50 | 28.50 | 5.20% | 547.50 | 577.50 | 6.07% | ||
| Steel (HRC) | 837.00 | -233.00 | -21.78% | 834.00 | 1,083.00 | -26.26% | ||
| Copper | 3.8520 | 0.0655 | 1.73% | 3.7440 | 3.8935 | -0.99% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn | 4.4625 | 0.0075 | 0.17% | 4.4400 | 4.5325 | -5.31% | ||
| Wheat | 6.0025 | 0.0700 | 1.18% | 5.8700 | 6.1725 | -4.42% | ||
| Soybeans | 12.0925 | -0.0400 | -0.33% | 12.0850 | 12.4750 | -6.84% | ||
| Coffee | 1.9385 | 0.0870 | 4.70% | 1.8350 | 1.9575 | 2.95% | ||
| Sugar | 0.2377 | 0.0020 | 0.85% | 0.2325 | 0.2462 | 15.50% | ||
| Cocoa | 4,672.00 | 89.00 | 1.94% | 4,529.00 | 4,840.00 | 11.34% | ||
| Cotton | 0.8437 | 0.0042 | 0.50% | 0.8354 | 0.8586 | 4.16% |
| Commodity | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1.8168 | 0.0730 | 4.19% | 1.7300 | 1.8215 | 7.82% | ||
| Lean Hogs | 0.8325 | 0.1250 | 17.67% | 0.7723 | 0.8400 | 22.47% | ||
| Feeder Cattle | 2.3970 | 0.0775 | 3.34% | 2.2875 | 2.4165 | 7.83% |
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 6.69% from 6.60% last week. Learn more about 30 year mortgage rates.
- MBA Mortgage Applications Index – increased by 3.7% this week compared to the prior week increase of 10.4%
| Maturity | Week Close | Week Change | Low | Week Range | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 1 Month | 5.365% | -0.005% | 5.339% | 5.436% | ||
| US 3 Month | 5.354% | -0.005% | 5.341% | 5.414% | ||
| US 1 Year | 4.774% | -0.088% | 4.739% | 4.898% | ||
| US 5 Year | 4.033% | -0.014% | 3.976% | 4.101% | ||
| US 10 Year | 4.143% | 0.012% | 4.071% | 4.195% | ||
| US 30 Year | 4.372% | 0.039% | 4.286% | 4.425% |
Cryptocurrencies
- Total Crypto Market Cap – decreased 1.33% or -21.7B this week to 1,616B
| Rank* | Crypto | Week Close | Week Change | Change % | Low | Week Range | High | YTD Performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BTC | 41,866.10 | 238.94 | 0.57% | 38,604.83 | 42,205.19 | -0.85% | ||
| 2 | ETH | 2,273.85 | -220.51 | -8.84% | 2,175.40 | 2,492.19 | -0.74% | ||
| 3 | BNB | 302.26 | -12.05 | -3.83% | 287.95 | 321.56 | -3.17% | ||
| 4 | SOL | 92.23 | -1.15 | -1.23% | 79.13 | 93.87 | -9.10% | ||
| 5 | XRP | 0.5318 | -0.0135 | -2.47% | 0.4989 | 0.5562 | -13.66% | ||
| 6 | ADA | 0.4846 | -0.0177 | -3.53% | 0.4496 | 0.5202 | -18.37% | ||
| 7 | AVAX | 32.26 | -0.41 | -1.25% | 27.39 | 33.48 | -16.37% | ||
| 8 | DOGE | 0.0798 | 0.0012 | 1.54% | 0.0762 | 0.0902 | -10.75% | ||
| 9 | TRX | 0.1146 | 0.0039 | 3.53% | 0.1066 | 0.1154 | 5.96% | ||
| 10 | DOT | 6.6618 | -0.2086 | -3.04% | 5.9969 | 6.9674 | -18.64% |
* Rank is based on market cap of non-stablecoins.
Fascinating Stats
US National Debt
The US National Debt increased 28.2 billion (Wednesday, January 17th to Wednesday, January 24th), to a total debt of $34,088,375,076,993.31 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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86.9
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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 decreased this week to 101 from 113 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 3 new exoplanets this week, the total has increased to 5,572 confirmed and catalogued Exoplanets across 4,283 confirmed Planetary Systems. 6 Exoplanets have been confirmed this year so far and there are 10,065 Exoplanet Candidates being evaluated for confirmation. Learn about all of the Exoplanets from NASA’s Exoplanet Catalog.