US markets closed higher on Friday

17 Mar 2018 Evaluate

The US markets closed modestly higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 breaking a four-day losing streak after mostly upbeat economic data, though major indexes still suffered hefty weekly declines. Worries over the potential for global trade tensions and turmoil surrounding the Trump administration were seen keeping a lid on the upside. On the economy front, the number of job openings in the US surged to a record 6.3 million in January, showing that businesses are still eager to hire nearly nine years into an economic expansion that still appears to have plenty of momentum. About 5.6 million people were hired and 5.4 million lost their jobs in January. The share of people who left jobs on their own, known as the quits rate, was unchanged at 2.5% among private-sector employees. That number has barely budged in the past year but it’s at a post-recession high, evidence that more workers feel secure enough to leave one job for another. Typically workers who move end up getting better pay. Separately, the University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index rose to 102 in March from 99.7 in February. That’s the highest reading in 14 years. All of the gain in the sentiment index was driven by households with incomes in the bottom third of the distribution on a better assessment of current conditions.

Meanwhile, industrial production surged 1.1% in February, the strongest gain since last October. Manufacturing, construction and the energy sector had strong gains, more than offsetting a drop in utility output. Manufacturing output jumped 1.2% in February, the biggest gain since October. Mining output rose 4.3%, helped by strong oil and gas extraction and coal mining. The index for oil and gas extraction was about 12% higher than a year ago and was at a record level. Utility output slumped 4.7% on warmer-than-normal temperatures. Auto production rose 3.9% in February, after a 0.2% decline in the prior month. Excluding autos, manufacturing was up 1%. Output of construction equipment rose by 2.3%. Capacity utilization jumped to 78.1% in February from 77.4% in the prior month. This is the highest level since January 2015.

However, construction on new houses fell 7% in February, but housing starts are still close to a post-recession high and builders show no sign of slowing down. Housing starts declined to an annual rate of 1.24 million last month from a revised 1.33 million in January. The rate of construction in January was the highest since 2008. Permits to build new houses, meanwhile, slipped 5.7% to 1.3 million. They are still sharply higher compared to a year ago, however.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 72.85 points or 0.29 percent to 24,946.51, the Nasdaq gained 0.247 points to 7,481.99, while the S&P 500 was up by 4.68 points or 0.17 percent to 2,752.01.

Create stable, long-term investment portfolio with strong, consistent stocks.

Start Research-backed Investing ...Now. Subscribe to Sapphire

About MoneyWorks4Me

MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.

Our Vision

To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.

What Makes MoneyWorks4Me Different

Fiduciary-first advisory model.
As SEBI-registered IAs, we are legally and ethically bound to act in the best interests of our clients. We do not sell or distribute any financial products. This ensures our guidance is 100% unbiased and conflict-free.
Deep fundamental research + robust valuation discipline.
Built on more than 15 years of equity research, our framework combines quality assessment, intrinsic value estimation, and a sensible margin-of-safety approach.
Process—not predictions.
We don’t rely on guesswork or market timing. Instead, we focus on asset allocation, risk management, and long-term compounding.
Technology + Human Intelligence.
We believe a combination of both is essential for investing success. We constantly innovate and upgrade in-house tools, financial X-rays, and portfolio analytics so that our team of analysts and advisors are equipped with the best.
Partner with Clients.
We follow a DIWM (Do-It-With-Me) approach where we partner clients in setting goals, financial planning, educating on our investing process and share decision-enabling resources transparently with our clients who retain control on execution.

Our Approach: Ensuring compounding work its magic on client portfolio.

MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through:

Investing in stocks, mutual funds, debt, and gold
Quality-at-Reasonable-Price way of investing in stocks
Constructing Direct Stock Portfolios with Core, Booster, and Amplifier stocks
A Mutual Fund Portfolio that delivers consistent out-performance and meaningful diversification (low overlap)
Periodic review and rebalancing
Clear Buy-Sell-Hold, and Position-sizing frameworks

Name of the IA registered with SEBI:	The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.
Logo:
Trade/Brand Name of IA:	MoneyWorks4Me Investment Advisers
Brand Logo:
SEBI Registration Number:	INA000013323 Validity – May 16, 2019 – Perpetual
Registration:	Non-Individual
BSE Enlistment No:	1187
Address:	B-101, Signet Corner Building, Balewadi Phata, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045
Compliance officer Details:	Name: Shrikant Jagtap Email: shrikant.jagtap@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +919860359463 Address: Same as IA
Grievance Officer Details:	Name: Mukta Vaze Email: mukta.vaze@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +91 98609 19463 Address: Same as IA
Principal Officer Details:	Name: Atharva Bhide Email: atharva.bhide@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +91 91758 99463 Address: Same as IA
Standard Warning:	Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.
Disclaimer:	Registration granted by SEBI, enlistment with exchange and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.