MARKETS TUMBLE ON CHINA FEARS

U.S. equities experienced a brutal tumble last week after more bad news emerged from China. For the week, the S&P 500 lost 5.96%, the Dow dropped 6.19%, and the NASDAQ fell 7.26%.^[1]

China’s ongoing economic woes are causing major turmoil in stock markets around the world. Disappointing data from China included reports that factory activity dropped for the 10th consecutive month, squashing hopes of a 2016 resurgence.^[2]

In this week’s update, we’ve compiled a list of questions and answers to help you make sense of last week’s turmoil:

What do China’s stock market problems mean for U.S. investors?

In short: not much. China’s stock market halted twice last week when emergency “circuit breakers” kicked in to limit volatility.^[3] However, most U.S. investors are not directly invested in Chinese stocks and are not affected by their markets. Chinese stocks are notoriously volatile and have experienced flash crashes in the past.

Why did U.S. markets react badly to news from China?

We live in an interconnected world where information is transmitted instantly and market overreactions are common. Thursday’s selloff came after the Chinese central bank announced yet another devaluation of the yuan, adding to investor fears about the health of the world’s second-largest economy.^[4] The move could also spark a global currency war as other countries devalue their currencies to compete with cheaper Chinese goods.^[5]

The question on everyone’s minds: How will China’s slowdown affect the rest of the world? Investors see weakness in China and fear how it will affect U.S. corporations and our domestic economy. With the 2016 growth picture already modest, investors are poised to react negatively to any news that seems even slightly threatening.

Should I be worried about the U.S. economy?

Probably not. China is our third-largest export market but accounts for just 0.8% of our GDP.^[6] While a severe slowdown in China won’t be good for global growth, the U.S. economy is on track for modest growth this year. We’ll know more about how our economy fared last quarter at the end of the month.

What we do know is that the labor market continues to improve, adding 292,000 jobs in December. October and November numbers were also revised upward, indicating that growth is sustained.^[7] Since domestic consumption accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, we can hope that these improvements will translate into higher consumer spending.

It’s not clear yet whether China is moving into a recession. Exports have largely fueled its past economic growth, and political leaders are struggling to wean the country off foreign demand.^[8] Will leaders be successful in transitioning to a more consumer-led economy? We’ll see.

What should I do as an investor?

For now, stay calm and focused on your personal goals. Regardless of what you might be hearing on the news, last week’s drop was not panic selling. Investors are caught up in global growth worries as they have been for months.

We cannot predict when markets will return to positive growth, and it’s possible that volatility and weakness may persist in the weeks to come. What we know is that historically, markets have not usually entered bear territory (sustained drops of 20% or more) unless accompanied by a recession.^[9] Though we cannot rule out prolonged market weakness, a severe drop would be a historical anomaly.

Fourth-quarter earnings season will move into high gear in the coming weeks and investors will have plenty of other news to digest. We are closely monitoring markets and taking a hard look at fundamental factors. If we believe that changes need to be made to your portfolio, we will contact you directly. If you have experienced any life changes or shifts in your perspectives on risk, please let us know.

As always, if you have any questions about markets or concerns about your personal situation, please give us a call.

ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

Tuesday: JOLTS
Wednesday: EIA Petroleum Status Report, Beige Book, Treasury Budget
Thursday: Jobless Claims, Import and Export Prices
Friday: PPI-FD, Retail Sales, Empire State Mfg. Survey, Industrial Production, Consumer Sentiment, Business Inventories

_{Notes: All index returns exclude reinvested dividends, and the 5-year and 10-year returns are annualized. Sources: Yahoo! Finance and Treasury.gov. International performance is represented by the MSCI EAFE Index. Corporate bond performance is represented by the DJCBP. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.}

HEADLINES:

Motor vehicle sales ride wave to blockbuster December. Auto manufacturers ended a record year last month, selling 17.47 million new vehicles and beating the previous record in 2000. Cheaper gas and pent-up demand contributed to improved sales.^[10]

Factory orders slip in November. Orders for manufactured goods dropped 0.2% in November, pointing to continued weakness in the manufacturing sector.^[11]

Construction spending falls in November. Spending on construction projects fell for the first time in 17 months, dipping 0.4% in November. While home construction was up, non-residential categories fell.^[12]

Manufacturing activity slumps. A gauge of manufacturing activity dropped for the second month in a row in November as global weakness weighs on U.S. manufacturers.^[13]

These are the views of Platinum Advisor Marketing Strategies, LLC, and not necessarily those of the named representative, Broker dealer or Investment Advisor, and should not be construed as investment advice. Neither the named representative nor the named Broker dealer or Investment Advisor gives tax or legal advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Please consult your financial advisor for further information.

Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

Diversification does not guarantee profit nor is it guaranteed to protect assets.

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 Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

The Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and growth companies.

The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that serves as a benchmark of the performance in major international equity markets as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia.

The Dow Jones Corporate Bond Index is a 96-bond index designed to represent the market performance, on a total-return basis, of investment-grade bonds issued by leading U.S. companies. Bonds are equally weighted by maturity cell, industry sector, and the overall index.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are the leading measures of U.S. residential real estate prices, tracking changes in the value of residential real estate. The index is made up of measures of real estate prices in 20 cities and weighted to produce the index.

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.

Google 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.

Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inflation risk, market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

By clicking on these links, you will leave our server, as they are located on another server. We have not independently verified the information available through this link. The link is provided to you as a matter of interest. Please click on the links below to leave and proceed to the selected site.