Weekly Market Wrap
02/18/2006
Economic data this week was
strong. Housing starts in January rose 14.5%. January retail
sales jumped an impressive 2.3%. Industrial production data
was also strong with an increase of 0.7%.
Other good news: oil finished
the week at $59.88 per barrel. Just three weeks ago, the price
was at $68.35, a 12% drop.
On the downside, the January
Producer Price Index (a measure of inflation) was up 0.3%,
its biggest increase in a year. So while the economy looks
healthy, further hints of inflation could lead to the Fed
raising interest rates late into the year.
For the full weekly update, including our
leading gainers for the week, subscribers can go here.
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