The First Slice for Friday, January 26, 2024

In the world of finance and economics, things are always moving, and today’s snapshot of the U.S. markets tells an interesting story. Let’s dive in!

The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded up 0.25%.
The S&P 500 rose, gaining 0.19%.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.13%.

First off, U.S. stocks seemed to be playing a game of mixed signals towards the end of the trading day, with the Nasdaq Composite showing a downward trend. This fluctuation can be a reflection of various factors, from economic data to global events.

Speaking of economic data, the U.S. economy surprised many by growing at an annualized rate of 3.3% in the fourth quarter. This exceeded market expectations, which were anticipating a more modest 2% increase. However, it’s worth noting that this growth rate is a bit slower compared to the previous quarter’s impressive 4.9% rate.

On the employment front, initial jobless claims increased by 25,000 to 214,000, indicating some volatility in the labor market. A closer look at the trade scene reveals that the U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed slightly in December, with a figure of $88.5 billion. Meanwhile, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index dipped to -0.15 in December, down from the previous month’s 0.01.

In the manufacturing sector, wholesale inventories in the U.S. saw a 0.4% increase in December, while new orders for manufactured durable goods remained unchanged for the same month. Lastly, U.S. natural gas supplies took a significant hit, falling by 326 billion cubic feet in the week ending Jan. 19, 2024, according to the EIA………[read more]