The current price of key market indexes

[Value Buy]

March 31st closing prices


Dow 17,776.12
Nasdaq 4,900.88
S&P 500 2,067.89
Russell 2000 1,252.77
Transportation Index 8,741.41
Utility Index 587.08

Gold $1,183.50 oz
Platinum $1,142.10
Silver $16.64 oz
Copper $2.739

Brent oil $55.37 per barrel
WTI oil $47.81 per barrel
Gasoline $1.7797 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.644
Heating oil $1.7179 gallon
Diesel $1.723 gallon
Coal $51.08

Wheat $511.75
Corn $376.25
Soybeans $973.25
Orange juice $125.10
Lumber $277.00
Live cattle $161.675
Lean hogs $62.225

Ten year Treasury 1.93 %

Euro $107.37
Canadian dollar $78.79
Yen $83.38

Stock Markets are really unstable right now, with big swings occurring on a daily basis, but indexes are close to the January prices. I am surprised at the transportation index has taken a hit lately, even with lower oil costs. Train stocks seem to be hit hard right now due to less coal being shipped, the LA port slowdown and possible future oil shipments falling due to low prices and producers shutting some wells down.
Interest rates are still struggling to figure which way they are headed (up) but every time we think the Fed will raise them, something happens to make it look like rates will maintain present level for some time. Today's jobs number was almost half of what some pundits thought they would be, 126,000 versus 230,000 estimated with unemployment rate of 5.5% unchanged. January and February jobs numbers were both adjusted downward from there previous announced numbers.
This suggests the Fed will not raise this spring, and the ten year will trade below 2%
Hourly rate per hour paid did go up 3/10th of a percent.
Commodities are all just in a trading range right now, although cattle may be seeing a seasonal increase due to summer demand.
Oil complex is staying in a trading range, but with Iran possibly coming to an agreement over nuclear production, it could produce more supplies coming on the market which would push prices to an even lower amount.
Euro is up slightly, but probably just a bounce off the recent lows. 

[ModE98]

You are "right on" about the stock markets being unstable right now.  This may be a sign of potential trouble ahead.  IMHO the stock markets are overpriced relative to economic conditions; and if so, we could be on the brink of a correction.  Good quality stocks are "pricey" to me, some nice stock splits would be a good thing, making them more affordable to the average Main Street investor.
Appreciate your periodic price posts as it gives insight to economic trends.

[Value Buy]

April 15th closing prices
Dow 18,012.61
Nasdaq 5,011.02
S&P 500 2,106.63
Russell 2000 1,275.35
Transportation Index 8,704.81
Utility Index 588.90

Gold $1,198.00 oz
Platinum $1,158.70
Silver $16.284 oz
Copper $2.774

Brent oil $56.71 per barrel
WTI oil $63.98 per barrel
Gasoline $1.9354 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.75
Heating oil $1.908 gallon
Diesel $1.9.8 gallon
Coal $49.53

Wheat $494.50
Corn $376.25
Soybeans $966.00
Orange juice $113.75
Lumber $55.30
Live cattle $152.00
Lean hogs $76.375

Ten year Treasury 1.89 %

Euro $107.61
Canadian dollar $78.94
Yen $84.19

Since I am late posting the data, I will not make any after the fact comments, other than cattle futures are still trending down, but retail prices seem to be climbing.
Hog futures climbing making our BLT sandwiches looking a little pricey this summer.
OJ still falling off probably because the strong dollar is buying a lot of cheap Brazilian oj with the falling Brazilian dollar creating a bargain price for the commodity.

[Value Buy]

April 30th closing prices


Dow 17,840.52
Nasdaq 4,941.42
S&P 500 2,085.51
Russell 2000 1,220.38
Transportation Index 8,592.86
Utility Index 586.72

Gold $1,182.40 oz
Platinum $1,142.50
Silver $16.124 oz
Copper $2.8855

Brent oil $59.72 per barrel
WTI oil $66.75 per barrel
Gasoline $2.045 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.729
Heating oil $1.9763 gallon
Diesel $1.98 gallon
Coal

Wheat $474.00
Corn $366.25
Soybeans $978.50
Orange juice $112.00
Lumber $52.90
Live cattle $149.90
Lean hogs $81.75

Ten year Treasury 2.037 %

Euro $112.28
Canadian dollar $79.75
Yen $80.62

I have been out of touch with the markets, hence the late posting now.
Oil has been on fire as well as gasoline. I think the consumer could go into protective mode and withhold spending if retail gasoline continues such a fast price
increase. 
The Euro has regained some luster against the dollar, which should help out big international companies in the new quarter.
The ten year note is unexplainable right now. It has jumped tremendously on anticipation of the fed raising rates, and yet Europe is almost at negative interest rates.
The fed cannot afford such a large spread between the U.S. and Europe, as money will floe out of Europe to the U.S. crippling Europe's economy.
The gold and silver market is telling us there is no inflation on the way. Gold has been in a very tight trading range.

[The Virginian]

Gasoline is averaging about $2.55 a gallon here ! About a 30 cent increase in a week.

[Value Buy]

May 8, 2015 10:13:10 GMT -5 The Virginian said:

Gasoline is averaging about $2.55 a gallon here ! About a 30 cent increase in a week.

Last week we paid $2.69 locally for regular no lead. Thirty five miles east it was $2.45.
Seventy miles east we paid, $2.38, which was too cheap. There was a price war in that town, but still such a large variance, when the refinery in Whiting Indiana is where all the stations are getting their fuel.

In the last four weeks, we have seen

$.29 increase, and $.15 sell off
$.39 increase, and $.19 sell off
$.29 increase, and $.14 sell off
this week, $.29 increase, and $.04 sell off since the increase yesterday. It will drop once or twice til next week when we will play the game again.

We were in Florida for three weeks in March, and saw one price change of five cents during that period.
My son told me it changed up and down every week we were gone back here at home.

Since gasoline futures are based in the future, the retailers and refiners are just playing monopoly with the consumer's money. We should still be seeing low prices based on the futures markets back in March for our current months. The big chains are not buying gasoline on the open markets, and lock in costs in the futures markets, but basing retail on the current open market cost.

[Value Buy]

May 15th closing prices

Dow 18,272.56
Nasdaq 5,048.29
S&P 500 2,122.73
Russell 2000 1,243.95
Transportation Index 8,680.78
Utility Index 585.74

Gold $1,224.20 oz
Platinum $1,169.00
Silver $17.56 oz
Copper $2.926

Brent oil $66.93 per barrel
WTI oil $59.84 per barrel
Gasoline $2.056 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $3.014 mbtu
Heating oil $2.009 gallon
Diesel $2.008 gallon
Coal $47.15

Wheat $512.75
Corn $365.00
Soybeans $951.50
Orange juice $111.70
Lumber $252.20
Live cattle $152.525
Lean hogs 83.35

Ten year Treasury 2.148 %

Euro $114.41
Canadian dollar $83.17
Yen $83.81

we are seeing some price increases in commodities and metals probably due to the rising interest rate that might be occurring. I believe with interest rates being this low, they will not rise dramatically and inflation in commodities is more of a herd mentality in traders, rather than actual inflation.
Gold broke above $1200, but is following silver and platinum.
Oil futures might be leveling out after such a large increase. Government estimates are for retail oil and gasoline prices to fall after Memorial day until possibly September.
Wheat has risen dur to Russia announcing they might decrease exports this year

[Value Buy]

Wheat futures up another 2.1% today based on flooding in some states and drought conditions in others.

[Value Buy]

May 18, 2015 8:30:43 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

May 30th closing prices

Dow 18,010.81
Nasdaq 5,070.03
S&P 500 2,107.39
Russell 2000 1,246.45
Transportation Index 8,299.75
Utility Index 586.98

Gold $1,190.40 oz
Platinum $1,112.60
Silver $16.725 oz
Copper $2.7295

Brent oil $65.34 per barrel
WTI oil $60.19 per barrel
Gasoline $2.0858 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.649 mbtu
Heating oil $1.9553 gallon
Diesel $1.955 gallon
Coal $44.80

Wheat $477.00
Corn $351.50 
Soybeans $934.00
Orange juice $114.30
Lumber $274.10
Live cattle $151.30
Lean hogs 83.83

Ten year Treasury 2.123 %

Euro $109.86
Canadian dollar $124.42
Yen $124.13

[Value Buy]

June 15th closing prices


Dow 17,791.17
Nasdaq 5,029.97
S&P 500 2,084.43
Russell 2000 1,261.04
Transportation Index 8,375.86
Utility Index 559.37

Gold $1,185.70 oz
Platinum $1,087.50
Silver $16.06 oz
Copper $2.647

Brent oil $59.61 per barrel
WTI oil $63.88 per barrel
Gasoline $2.095 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.911
Heating oil $1.8701 gallon
Diesel $1.8701 gallon
Coal 41.92

Wheat $489.00
Corn $348.25
Soybeans $938.25
Orange juice $119.75
Lumber $295.00
Live cattle $151.175
Lean hogs $77.00

Ten year Treasury 2.36 %

Euro $112.82
Canadian dollar $81.62 (128.38)
Yen $123.39

Everything is in a state of flux.
Stocks are waiting to see when the Fed will raise rates, thinking it will HURT stocks. Europe has to decide what to do with Greece. Looks like they will be forced to finally do it. 
Gold and silver not doing anything, but copper is falling, despite housing starts. It is all about India and China with manufacturing output at this point. 
Refiners are getting rich on the spread between oil cost and retail gasoline prices. WTI and Brent are in a trading range, unable to break out above $65.00 on Brent without immediate pullbacks.
ALL commodities are treading water, not doing a lot. Corn wheat and soybeans are stagnant to slightly down based on estimates of crop acreage, but I wonder if all the rain in the plains and Midwest will actually hurt total bushels harvested. Fields are totally too wet in many states which might stunt growth and yields.

[ModE98]

One of these days things will get more lively, for better or for worse.  Probably late summer or early fall, or sooner.

[Value Buy]

Jun 16, 2015 9:59:01 GMT -5 ModE98 said:

One of these days things will get more lively, for better or for worse.  Probably late summer or early fall, or sooner.

Well, things got lively today.
Fear of a Greece failure and our markets are great.
Go figure.
Dow up 200 with 20 minutes to go in trading
Nasdaq might close at a record high today.

[Value Buy]

June 30th closing quotes

Dow 17,619.51
Nasdaq 4,986.87
S&P 500 2,063.10
Russell 2000 1,254.84
Transportation Index 8,092.28
Utility Index 550.32

Gold $1,171.80 oz
Platinum $1,079.90
Silver $15.665 oz
Copper $2.621

Brent oil $63.53 per barrel
WTI oil $59.37 per barrel
Gasoline $2.0752 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.824
Heating oil $1.8866 gallon
Diesel $1.8823 gallon
Coal 40.73

Wheat $613.25
Corn $413.25
Soybeans $1,035.25
Orange juice $114.80
Lumber $285.70
Live cattle $148.00
Lean hogs $74.35

Ten year Treasury 2.355 %

Euro $111.45
Canadian dollar $79.99 (120.01)
Yen $122.36

Stocks are struggling. Dow is now negative for the year, but S&P 500 and Nasdaq are stlll positive. Still waiting on the EU and Greece to decide what they are doing.
Oil complex remains in a nice trading range, but wti is stuck around $60 a barrel, as the U.S. is producing record amounts of oil and Natural gas, holding prices in line.
Gasoline is selling at a high profit for the refiners, protecting the big oil companies who both pump, and refine oil.
The grain commodities are trending up, due to so much wet and horrendous weather in the Midwest, which might hurt crop yields this fall.
Wheat is up a dollar a bushel in two months, corn almost seventy cents, soybeans over eighty cents a bushel.

[Value Buy]

June 14th 2014 closing prices

Dow 16,775.74
Nasdaq 4,310.65
S&P 500 1,936.11
Russell 2000 1,162.68
Transportation index 8,042.85
Utility index 542.42

Gold $1,280.60 oz.
Platinum $1,444.70
Silver $19.695 oz.
Copper $3.048
Brent crude $112.61 per barrel
WTI Oil $107.07 per barrel
Gasoline $3.063 gallon, NY Harbor
Natural gas $4.736
Heating oil $2.99 gallon
Diesel $2.9901 gallon
Coal $59.50

Wheat $592.70
Corn $4.4875 bushel
Soybeans $1,430.75
Orange Juice $159.50
Lumber $307.80
Live cattle $1.46625
Lean hogs $1.27

10 year treasury $99.20

Euro $1.35627
Canadian dollar $92.00
Yen $98.24

This is where the markets were on June 14th 2014
When we look back for thirteen months, we have a better perspective of where we are at today.
Everyone feels like the world is ending stock market wise.
Major Stock indexes are strong against a year ago, except for Russel 2000, Transports, and the Utility index. All have individual concerns, which migh affect the Dow and Nasdaq later this year.

Precious metals and oil complex are all down, which for the consumer is good news.
Soft commodities are basically flat with the exception of soybeans which are weaker.
Cattle about even but pork bellies very weak.
The Euro is down 24 cents against the dollar and yen and Canadian dollar down around 20 and 13 cents respectively.
Granted this is looking backward rather than forward, but the area to have been in, is stocks if you were not shorting them.
Commodities over all have favored the consumer with lower costs, but I am not sure the consumer has been given the decrease in proportion with the decrease.
In the oil complex, today we have diesel selling retail for less than gasoline, and a year ago it was higher than gasoline at the pump. The big refineries are really hanging onto the retail prce increasing their margins.
Cattle prices are where they were a year ago, but retail price of beef is probably $1.50 to $2.00 lb higher at the retail groccery markets and have been up in the restaurant price list also.
Over all the stock investor has been rewarded rather well.
Now all we have to do is look forward.
Has Greece been "fixed"?
Absolutely not.
And today the Administration is saying they have come to terms with Iran on nuclear reactors, which I highly question whether we got any better deal than Greece did from the EU.

How will our stock and commodity markets react when the Fed actually raises rates? We have seen the markets contort on this question for over 18 monthas already, and have not seen a rate increase yet.

Will it be a non event, or send stocks downward? 
Having said all that, is there anyone here who has not seen good increases in their portfolio from 13 months ago?
It has been a good year.

[ModE98]

Yes, in spite of the head winds, so far it has been a good year.

[Value Buy]

July 15th prices

Dow 18,050.17
Nasdaq 5,098.94
S&P 500 2,107.40
Russell 2000 1,264.52
Transportation Index 8,224.31
Utility Index 573.15

Gold $1,148.40 oz
Platinum $1,022..50
Silver $15.065 oz
Copper $2.5113

Brent oil $57.13 per barrel
WTI oil $51.48 per barrel
Gasoline $1.8602 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $29119
Heating oil $1.673 gallon
Diesel $1.6731 gallon
Coal 41.05

Wheat $567.50
Corn $440.75
Soybeans $1,016.75
Orange juice $121.55
Lumber $284.80
Live cattle $146.95
Lean hogs $75.475

Ten year Treasury 2.359 %

Euro $1.0946
Canadian dollar $77.36 (122.64)
Yen $123.80
Dow back above 18,000 and S&P 500 above 2100
Gold is now below $1,150 an oz
WTI is down to $51-$52 a barrel trading range, and rrob has dropped below $1.90 a gallon

Euro has dropped under $1.10 against the dollar

[clarkrl2]

The crack spread is up near 72 using the (2xgasoline +heating oil)x42 - 3xWTI Crude formula. That should be good for the refiners.

www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/calc_crack.html

[Value Buy]

I keep reading articles that we are experiencing a strong El Nino this summer.
The Midwest is supposed to be cooler and wetter than normal.
So far, very true. It just keeps pouring rain every other day or so, the rivers and lakes are all very high every week. I am beginning to worry crop yields might be clipped a little in corn and soybeans, at least in Indiana and Illinois.
Indiana does not raise a lot of wheat, but many fields still stand tall, and they should have been harvested by now, but the crop and grounds are too wet to harvest.
California is supposed to receive much needed moisture, but so far that has not happened.

[Value Buy]

Gold broke below $1100 an oz in after hours trading, to $1,096 an oz on the strong dollar and selling in Asia, primarily China.
Some of the mining stocks were down 10% or more today.
WTI looks like it is about to break below $50 a barrel.
Commodities are really beginning to get interesting.

[Value Buy]

WTI closed at $49.28 today 
Gold  $1,091 an oz.

When some of the oil and ng companies have to reset their proven reserves at the lower dollar prices, and the same for the miners.

I would expect further downward stock prices for them. We should also see lower or stopped dividend payments for both segments.

[ArchietheDragon]

Oil is at a 5 year low, yet gas is 20% higher than it was a few months ago.  Why is that?

[Value Buy]

Jul 22, 2015 13:41:23 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

Oil is at a 5 year low, yet gas is 20% higher than it was a few months ago.  Why is that?

refiners are holding back on the retail price decrease, and keeping profits high.
Spread between oil and gasoline is huge right now.

[Ombud]

Jul 22, 2015 13:34:53 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

WTI closed at $49.28 today 
Gold  $1,091 an oz.

So I planned on adding gold coins when it dipped to 1100 (@hickle) but now I'm wondering how low it will go. Investment grade coins are only marginally related to spot price but there is a loose correlation. Read a report that it'll test 1040 ... if that fails to hold, next test is 1000

[Value Buy]

WTI closed at $48.48 today.
It is getting seriously cheap.
Gasoline should be about $1.59/ $1.65 a gallon nationally around September.

[ModE98]

"Gasoline should be about $1.59/ $1.65 a gallon nationally around September."
That will make a lot of people happy!

[Value Buy]

Jul 23, 2015 18:59:55 GMT -5 ModE98 said:

"Gasoline should be about $1.59/ $1.65 a gallon nationally around September."
That will make a lot of people happy!

After seeing the price I posted, I am thinking I must be crazy.
Refiners will be changing over to the winter blends, and find some excuse of a shortage over maintenance issues, etc, jusat like they do in the sprng when they convert to the summer blend.

Still, should be under $1.99 a gallon.

[Value Buy]

Gold trading $1,078 an oz
WTI still at $48.48 per barrel

[ModE98]

Yes, I thought that might be a little low....anything under $2.00 would be just fine.  We will never see anything close to the old 17 cents p/g of the 1930's again. 

[The Virginian]

Jul 24, 2015 10:07:19 GMT -5 ModE98 said:

Yes, I thought that might be a little low....anything under $2.00 would be just fine.  We will never see anything close to the old 17 cents p/g of the 1930's again. 

17 Cents ! I don't think many of have seen it that low Mod ! I do remember it at around 50 cents a gallon. Everything changed in the 70's when OPEC started causing shortages.

[ModE98]

Mr. V, I am so old I can remember a local "gas war" in Minneapolis, MN where it was 9 cents for a week or two where local stations competed for customers... circa 1932-33.