| The KUIK Morning Market Report for Thursday, April 17: | |||||||
| Markets are down. | |||||||
| Index | Direction | Change | Units | Last | Time | Change | |
| Dow | Down | (36.1) | points | 16,389 | 7:05 AM | ||
| S&P500 | Down | -0.20% | percent | 1,859 | (3.64) | ||
| Nasdaq Composite | Down | -0.28% | percent | 4,075 | (11.31) | ||
| 30 Year Treasury | Down | (1) | Basis Points | 3.45 | Annual Yield | ||
| The Labor Department reports new applications for unemployment benefits increased by 2,000 to 304,000 in the week that ended April 12. Economists expected claims a seasonally adjusted 315,000. It also reported that continuing claims decreased by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.74 million in the week ended April 5, hitting the lowest level since December 2007. | |||||||
| Japan downgraded its assessment of the economy for the first time since November 2012 as consumers cut back spending after arecent jump in that nation’s sales tax rate. In its latest monthly report, the government said that a pullback in private consumption and housing construction could be seen following the April 1 rise in the sales tax to 8% from 5%. Sales of home electronics fell 20% year-on-year in the first week of April. The first tax increase in 17 years is designed to pay for Japan’s growing social security costs and to pare its huge public debt, which, at more than twice the size of the economy, is the largest among developed countries. The government plans to raise the tax further to 10% in October 2015. | |||||||
| Serving the West Side first, I am Bill Roller of BR Capital for AM 1360 KUIK. | |||||||
| http://www.marketwatch.com/story/weekly-jobless-claims-tick-up-from-lowest-level-since-2007-2014-04-17 | |||||||
| http://www.marketwatch.com/story/japan-downgrades-its-assessment-of-economy-2014-04-17 | |||||||
| For today’s Morning Market Report click to listen-> | |||||||