Insight on Business

February 2014

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50 | I nsIgh t • F e b r u a r y 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m T he new year is off to a relatively cool start to the markets, with positive overall trends domestically but overseas markets considerably weaker. e strong U.s. showing last year only tells part of the story, though, as large swaths of the investment markets were negative, including bonds, commodities, and large foreign economies like China, India, Russia and Brazil. As we mentioned last month, bull markets (large positive trends) tend to last somewhere in the neighborhood of five years, and with the current run having started in March 2009, the five-year anniversary is nearly upon us. More than ever, it is important to be aware of future turning points and adjust your portfolio accordingly – it would be a mistake to believe that this market is any different. In fact, the last two bull markets both ended aer five-year runs, resulting in losses ranging from 45 percent to as much as 55 percent. cleartREnD offers monthly market analysis and research on northeast Wisconsin's key economic sectors. For February, we highlight the commercial lending and construction services sectors of the economy – both currently showing positive trends. We also feature the largest employment sectors for Brown County. is month's cleartREnD U.s. Economic health Index tM shows extreme strength, with 89 percent of U.s. economic sectors expanding (an excellent reading, up from 86 percent a month ago and currently our highest reading ever). Couple that with a sizable drop in the number of contracting sectors, now only 8 percent compared with 6 percent in January. "Let's be clear that when things can't get any better, by definition they can only get worse," says Mark scheffler of e Appleton group. "Major market tops are oen characterized by an irrational advance, and that's oen when novice investors are getting in just as smart investors are exiting. It's time to be smart." Evidence of slowing upward trends can be found in the select trending U.s. sectors report. half of recent changes have moved from "buy" to "cash," indicating that all of the good news in these key sectors is already priced in. is includes business training, coal, industrial suppliers (a good barometer for the economy), personal products and real estate investment. is last sector is particularly interesting, as the Construction services report below shows all "buys." Can anyone say "market saturation?" 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 clearTREND U.S. Economic Health Index: trending i n fo c u s Commercial lending and construction services experiencing upward trends New year shows strength 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. 89% Expanding: 89% Stable: 4% Contracting: 8% Poor Fair Good Excellent Sector Focus Commercial Lending Description Ticker Trend Began Confidence Annaly Capital Management Inc NLY 1/10/14 76.69% Apollo Residential Mortgage Inc AMTG 12/27/13 95.00% CIT Group Inc CIT 12/4/13 63.49% Fortress Investment Group LLC FIG 12/12/13 79.58% Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc IVR 1/8/14 92.31% Newcastle Investment Corp NCT 1/3/14 78.62% ORIX Corporation IX 8/9/12 76.88% Walter Investment Management Corp WAC 12/23/13 78.57% Construction Services Description Ticker Trend Began Confidence Chicago Bridge & Iron CBI 11/26/12 75.64% Emcor Group Inc EME 12/20/13 75.86% Empresas ICA ICA 12/9/13 72.37% Granite Construction Inc GVA 9/9/13 78.95% Orion Marine Group Inc ORN 10/11/13 78.38% Quanta Services Inc PWR 10/21/13 78.03% Sterling Construction Inc STRL 10/31/13 77.78% Tutor Perini Corp TPC 11/12/12 76.47% Data as of 1/8/2014

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