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Data as of 3/29/13
Standard & Poor's 500 (Domestic Stocks) 10-year Treasury Note (Yield Only) Gold (per ounce) DJ-UBS Commodity Index DJ Equity All REIT TR Index
1Week
0.8% 1.9 -0.6 -0.4 1.4
Y-T-D
10.0% N/A -5.6 -1.1 7.9
1Year
2.2 -4.6 -3.3 17.8
3Year
3.9 13.0 1.4 16.8
5Year
3.6% 3.5 11.3 -7.8 7.1
10Year
6.2% 3.9 17.1 2.0 12.5
11.6% 10.2%
Notes: S&P 500, Gold, DJ-UBS Commodity Index returns exclude reinvested dividends (gold does not pay a dividend) and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; the DJ Equity All REIT TR Index does include reinvested dividends and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; and the 10-year Treasury Note is simply the yield at the close of the day on each of the historical time periods. Sources: Yahoo! Finance, Barrons, djindexes.com, London Bullion Market Association. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. N/A means not applicable.
HOW FAST SHOULD THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY BE GROWING? According to The
Economist, In the three years since the end of the recession in mid-2009, growth averaged 2.2 percent, barely half the 4.2 percent average of the seven previous recoveries. This begs the question: How fast should the economy be growing? Economists, academics, and policy makers have been trying to figure that out. Many have started with an economic theory put forward by noted economist Milton Friedman in 1964. His Plucking Model postulates the business cycle is like a string attached to a board. The board represents the ceiling of maximum feasible output. Once in a while, the string is plucked down by recession and then it springs back. The idea is the depth of a recession will be mirrored by the strength of the recovery that follows. At first blush, the Plucking Model doesnt appear to apply to this recovery. The Great Recession was the deepest downturn since World War II, and the country hasnt snapped back. According to several recent reports, there may be a reason for this. Our ceiling of optimal output the fastest rate at which our economy is expected to grow may be lower than it used to be. Productivity and Potential Output Before, During, and After the Great Recession, a working paper from the San Francisco Federal Reserve, found growth in the U.S. was slowing in the mid-2000s although the slowdown was largely unrecognized before the Great Recession. What Accounts for the Slow Growth of the Economy After the Recession, a Congressional Budget Office study, determined about two-thirds of the difference between Americas current growth rate and the average growth after previous recoveries is due to long-term trends including demographic changes. The other onethird is credited to low demand for goods and services. Disentangling the Channels of the 2007-2009 Recessions, by James Stock of Harvard University and Mark Watson of Princeton University, also found slower growth in the U.S. is largely the result of demographic trends such as a limited labor supply as Baby Boomers have begun to retire and the number of women joining the workforce has leveled off.
Considered together, the reports seem to indicate U.S. economic growth began slowing before the recession and, unless demographic trends shift, our country may continue to experience slower growth.
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* This newsletter was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. * The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. * The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. * The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market. * Gold represents the London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association. Precious metal investing is subject to substantial fluctuation and potential for loss. * The DJ Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998. * The DJ Equity All REIT TR Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones. * Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods. * Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. * Past performance does not guarantee future results. * You cannot invest directly in an index. * Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. * To unsubscribe from the Patty Loris Weekly Commentary please reply to this e-mail with