In Markets "In a Nutshell"

Markets “In a Nutshell” for December 9, 2024

Investment Week at a Glance

Stocks finished higher for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6%, the S&P 500 was up 1.0%, and the NASDAQ rose 3.3%. Foreign stocks (MSCI EAFE) were also up, rising 1.8%. Bond prices were up for the week, with the 10-year U.S. Treasury ending the week at 4.15%.  (Data source: Wall Street Journal)

November Jobs Report

The November jobs report was released last week and beat expectations adding 227,000 jobs. Unemployment ticked higher to 4.2% but remains much lower than the historical average. Last month had a disappointing jobs report as it was reported that only 12,000 new jobs but that number was revised to 48,000. There was some worry about the October report but after a good November report, the weakness in October was likely due to strikes and hurricanes that impacted job growth. Overall, the job market remains in a good position and has handled the higher interest rates to this point.

Wage Growth Outpaces Inflation for 2024

Growth in average hourly wages has outpaced inflation throughout all of 2024 which is good news for the consumer and economy. Inflation has continued to move lower while wage growth has increased by roughly 4% throughout the year. This is allowing consumers to spend more and continue to drive the U.S. economy higher. 70% of the United States GDP is from consumption so a strong consumer typically means the overall economy is strong. With wages continuing to outpace inflation it is expected that this trend will continue throughout 2025 as GDP growth is expected to be 2%-3%.

Bitcoin Reaches $100K

For the first time ever, Bitcoin crossed the $100k mark as the post-election boom continues. Bitcoin started the year at $44k and was under $70k before the election results. Many see the Trump administration as a more crypto-friendly administration as Trump was outspoken about his pro-crypto stance and even spoke at a Bitcoin conference. Money has flowed into Bitcoin as ETFs have made it easier for investors to gain Bitcoin exposure. The largest ETF is the Blackrock (IBIT) iShares Bitcoin Trust which holds over 500,000 Bitcoins, roughly 2.5% of all available Bitcoin. MicroStrategy, which is a business intelligence application software vendor, holds over 400,000 Bitcoin and has seen a stock price increase of over 450% for 2024. Now investors will see if Bitcoin can hold these levels as Bitcoin is always a volatile asset, down 73% in 2018 and 64% in 2022.

Quiz:

What is the average unemployment rate since 1979? (Scroll Down for Answer)

  1.     4.2%
  2.     4.8%
  3.     5.1%
  4.     5.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer below.

 

 

Have a Great Week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer:

4.   5.7%. The historical average unemployment in the U.S. is 5.7% and reached an all-time high of 14.9% in April of 2020 when Covid shut down the U.S. economy.

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