A verbal agreement. Friday, October 11, the U.S. announced that it had reached a verbal agreement with China, concluding two days of face-to-face talks and rampant speculation of a deal in financial markets. China agreed to purchase more agricultural products from the U.S., and the U.S. dropped plans for higher tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods, which were scheduled to take effect Oct.15. Stocks are down this morning, though, amid reports that China wants more discussions with the U.S. before signing the deal.
Slumping Chinese imports. We believe progress in the U.S.-China trade dispute is becoming more crucial to jumpstarting global demand, as China data showed this morning. China’s imports (in U.S. dollars) dropped 8.5% year over year in September, the fifth straight decline, while China’s exports fell 3.2%. Slumping Chinese imports adds to evidence that the second-largest world economy has weakened over the past year, while pockets of the U.S. economy continue to deteriorate. We think signs of slowing growth could motivate both sides to continue working together.
Earnings preview. Corporate America is unlikely to deliver much if any, earnings growth in the third quarter. However, we think better days lie ahead. We expect progress on trade to keep U.S. economic growth at or above the trend for the current economic expansion. The U.S.-China trade conflict is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, but we believe any small steps forward could increase business confidence and spark capital investment, lifting corporate profits. Flat earnings are hardly exciting, but we think prospects for better growth in 2020 will support stocks at current valuations.
Stocks rally to end the week. Stocks rallied on trade optimism late last week, erasing the S&P 500 Index’s 2% loss through Tuesday. Fixed income markets dropped across the board as global interest rates moved sharply higher. Review all the major indexes in the latest Weekly Market Performance.
The week ahead. This week’s economic calendar in the United States includes retail sales and Federal Reserve’s Beige Book on October 16, followed by industrial production on October 17 and the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index on October 18. Internationally, we’ll get industrial production and Consumer Price Index data out of the Eurozone. A swath of China data is slated to be released as well, including third-quarter gross domestic product, inflation, and industrial production.
 My firm specializes in working with people that experience what we call “Sudden Income.” Typically the income came from one of these events: 1) Accessing and Managing Retirement Assets I believe the unique nature of these events requires specialized professional experience, empathy, and communication to deal with both the financial changes and the life changes that inevitably come with them. My clients value my ability to simplify complex strategies into an actionable plan. They also appreciate that I am open, non-judging and easy to talk to about their dreams and fears. Each client defines financial success differently and my goal is to guide them from where they are now to where they want to be. As my client’s advisor, my goal is to provide them with a lifetime income stream, improving returns, protecting their funds and managing taxes. |
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KEVIN GARRETT, AWMA, CFS
Integrated Financial Group
200 Ashford Center North, Ste. 400 | Atlanta, GA 30338
Phone | 770.353.6311
Email | kgarrett@intfingroup.com
Website | kevingarrettifg.com
Convergence occurred when I remembered a conversation the prior week with another consultant, Faith. She had told me about an adverse situation created when a patient received a new heart, but the system hadn’t been updated to reflect the candidate’s eligibility for a transplant. That breakdown in the process created a question as to who’s responsible for the $1.4 million approximate costs of the procedure. Faith explained that this glitch was an administrative error as the candidate still needed the heart and was qualified to receive the transplant, however, an updated authorization wasn’t secured. I can only imagine how bad the situation could have been if the patient had died, prevented from receiving the transplant due to an administrative mistake. It occurred to me that the system has a fundamental flaw that can be mitigated with a technical solution. Faith continued by providing an overview of additional risk and complexity created by Federal Agencies and Laws regulating the Health Care Industry.
