Market Update Report 1/14/2014

The KUIK Market Update for Tuesday, January 14:
Markets are up.
Index Direction Change Units Last Time Change
Dow Up                     44 points           16,305 7:42 AM
S&P500 Up 0.51% percent             1,828             9.25
Nasdaq Composite Up 0.84% percent             4,148            34.63
30 Year Treasury Up                       2 Basis Points               3.79 Annual Yield
The Commerce Department reports retail sales rose 0.2% in December.  The year as a whole was below expectations.  Sales rose by 4.2%, marking the smallest annual gain since the recession ended in mid-2009.  In December, sales jumped 1.4% at Internet retailers, 2% for food and beverage stores and 1.8% for clothes outlets. The spike in sales for food and drinks followed two straight declines.  Sales also rose 1.6% at gas stations to reflect somewhat higher prices at the pump last month. Sales at auto dealerships, meanwhile, dropped 1.6%. Auto dealers attracted lots of buyers in November with big discounts, likely cutting into the sales that might have occurred in December.. Autos account for about one-quarter of all retail sales.
The Labor Department reports prices of goods imported into the U.S. were unchanged in December and they fell 1.3% for the full year. Lower costs of everything but fuel offset a 0.4% increase in fuel imports in December. The fuel index fell 4.3% in November and 3.3% in October to reflect the declining cost of oil and lower prices at the gas pump. The U.S. export index, meanwhile, rose 0.4% in December but fell 1.0% for the full year, a result of weak growth among U.S. trading partners. 
Serving the West Side first, I am Bill Roller of BR Capital for AM 1360 KUIK.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/retailers-sales-rise-mildly-in-december-2014-01-14
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-import-price-index-flat-in-december-2014-01-14
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