U.S. stocks declined in the holiday-shortened week as news about the emergence of a new, potentially more contagious, coronavirus variant in South Africa triggered a sharp sell-off in equities around the world. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 703 points for the week closing at 34,899, a decline of -2.0%.
Homebuilders grew more confident this month, as demand for housing remained strong despite continued pressures from supply and labor shortages. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported its monthly confidence index rose three points to 83 in November. It was the highest reading since May.
Optimism among the nation’s small business owners hit a seven-month low as they continued to struggle to find both people willing to work and supplies. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported its small-business confidence index fell 0.9 points to 98.2 last month. It was the lowest reading since March. Businesses are facing one of the worst labor shortages since World War II. More than 4 million people left the workforce during the pandemic and haven’t returned.
The average price of a new vehicle has spiked about 25% since the start of the pandemic, from about $35,000 to a whopping $44,000, according to auto data firm J.D. Power. Shortages of key materials, such as semiconductors, have not only limited the number of vehicles being produced, but also incentivized automakers to build only the most expensive, highest-trim versions of their vehicles.
The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell to a new pandemic low as companies continue to work with the employees they have and seek to hire more. The Labor Department reported new jobless claims fell to 281,000 last week—the lowest since March of last year and better than economists’ estimates.
With inflation in the United States now more than double the Federal Reserve’s stated target of 2% inflation, economists have been at odds on whether this is ‘transitory’ or just the beginning of a new monetary trend. With the vast majority of the developed world instituting economic lockdowns and massive government stimulus to combat the COVID‑19 pandemic, it makes sense that this would fuel inflation in modernized countries with just-in-time supply chains, negligible spare capacity…and then sudden injections of massive stimulation from governments.