Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/201303
in foc us trending Economy on an upswing More sectors expand, health care sees strong confidence rate O ver the past month, the markets have performed quite well despite the lack of a cohesive federal government and the prospect of reduced Federal Reserve stimulus. clearTREND's correct read of an ongoing supportive market environment has played out beautifully, with additional market gains in the early fourth quarter. clearTREND offers monthly market analysis and research on Northeast Wisconsin's key economic sectors. For this month's issue, we highlight the health care and construction sectors – both show solidly positive trends. And what an interesting read for this month's clearTREND U.S. Economic Health IndexTM: The percentage of expanding U.S. economic sectors jumped to 66 percent from 63 percent a month ago (a good reading), but there was a massive jump in the percentage of contracting sectors to 21 percent from only 6 percent in October. "The big jump in the number of contracting sectors is worrisome," says Mark Scheffler of The Appleton Group. "It reflects an overall economy that is becoming clearTREND U.S. Economic Health Index: more fractured, with some industries doing very well while others are struggling to keep up." Of note for November is the strength in this month's health care sector focus. Across-the-board strength is the rule here, as the Affordable Care Act's 2014 implementation date quickly approaches. Look for these trends to continue, with an average confidence rating of almost 80 percent. Sector Focus Construction: Industry Leaders (Publicly Traded) Description Aecom Technology Corp ACM 10/11/13 90.32% Caterpillar Inc CAT 9/17/13 77.46% Deere & Co DE 9/30/13 73.48% Emcor Group Inc EME 8/22/12 82.93% Fluor Corp FLR 7/12/13 76.64% Jacobs Engineering Group Inc JEC 9/6/12 77.25% MasTec Inc MTZ 10/15/13 75.13% 12/6/12 84.48% URS Corp URS Health care: Industry Leaders (Publicly Traded) Description Aetna Inc Cigna Corp Centene Corp 66% Expanding: 66% Fair Good Excellent Data as of 10/15/2013 Key: = uptrend = downtrend Ticker = trading symbol (individual securities only) Trend Began = date on which current trend was identified Confidence = clearTREND's historic success rate in generating capital gains based on accurate trend identification 44 | Insight • N o v e m b e r 2 013 Ticker Trend Began Confidence AET 10/3/12 76.80% CI 9/25/12 79.32% CNC 10/22/12 73.85% Health Net Inc HNT 11/6/12 76.15% Humana Inc HUM 4/1/13 74.83% Unitedhealth Group Inc UNH 2/13/13 81.86% Wellcare Health Plans Inc WCG 6/21/13 77.42% Wellpoint Inc WLP 12/13/12 79.19% Northwoods: Marinette, Florence, Menomonie & Oconto Counties - Top Employment Sectors Poor Confidence Stable: 13% Trend Began This index measures more than 130 unique U.S. market sectors to determine how many are expanding, stable, or contracting. More than 50% of expanding sectors are healthy, while less than 50% are not. Contracting: 21% Ticker Trend Began Confidence Index Description Automobiles & Parts Sector 10/1/12 68.89% Banking Sector 10/10/13 79.71% Consumer Goods Sector 8/6/12 76.00% Marine Transport Sector 5/10/13 85.71% Forestry & Paper Sector 10/4/13 73.81% Healthcare Sector 10/9/13 75.00% Restaurants & Bars Sector 10/2/13 75.51% Specialty Chemicals Sector 10/15/13 71.74% Travel & Tourism Sector 11/9/12 84.06% w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m