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42 | I nsIgh t • J u l 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 hIs year's second quarter has proven to be eventful in both domestic and international economies. a few milestones occurred last quarter, including negative revisions to gdp growth. e Bureau of economic analysis reports that the u.s. economy shrank by -1.00% in the first quarter of the year, the first such result since 2011. Monthly employment numbers for May were released by the department of Labor, showing that the total number of jobs lost during the recession have been recovered. six years and four months to recover back to 138.4 million jobs – and all it took was $11.7 trillion of stimulus along the way. Further indication of economic stagnation was seen when the european central Bank (ecB) made history by imposing negative deposit rates. "With lackluster u.s. economic data being reported, the continuation of the gradual uptrend in the markets is likely due to the ecB's commitment to encourage banks to lend more," says alex haas, advisor to private clients and retirement plans. such an unprecedented move by a large central bank indicates the ecB is exercising all options to promote economic growth. cleartrend's economic health Index tM reflects global economic stagnation with numbers virtually unchanged from last month. "overall this year, markets are up because of continued stimulus spending. however, recent government reports do not support the notion of a healthy economy," says Mark scheffler, senior portfolio manager and founder of e appleton group. is month, cleartrend identified trends in the health care and banking sectors, as well as the top employment sectors of the Manitowoc area. 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 Markets drift higher despite a contracting economy Stagnation sours success 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. 70% Expanding: 70% Stable: 19% Contracting: 11% Poor Fair Good Excellent Sector Focus Banking & Credit Unions Description Ticker Trend Began Confidence Associated Banc-Corp ASBC 6/3/14 77.74% Bank Mutual Corp BKMU 6/10/14 75.90% Baylake Corp BYLK 6/4/14 83.76% First Business Financial Services Inc FBIZ 6/9/14 82.44% First Horizon National Corp FHN 6/5/14 81.25% JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM 6/6/14 75.31% PrivateBancorp Inc PVTB 6/6/14 76.04% Webster Financial Corp WBS 6/3/14 79.44% Health Care Description Ticker Trend Began Confidence Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc MDRX 6/10/14 74.84% Amgen Inc AMGN 6/10/14 79.65% Associated Banc-Corp ASBC 6/3/14 77.74% Bank Mutual Corp BKMU 6/10/14 75.90% Baylake Corp BYLK 6/4/14 83.76% Celgene Corp CELG 6/9/14 79.87% JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM 6/6/14 75.31% Pfizer Inc PFE 6/4/14 77.99% Manitowoc - Top Employment Sectors Description Trend Began Confidence Auto Parts 5/30/14 93.33% Broadline Retail 5/13/14 80.22% Food Producers 4/21/14 92.86% Food Retailers & Wholesalers 1/17/14 84.52% Health Care 4/11/14 99.00% Industrial Suppliers 8/8/12 75.00% Industrials 11/20/13 99.00% Nonferrous Metal 2/26/14 79.55% Utilities 6/2/14 92.86% Data as of 6/11/2014