Zacks Investment\nManagement provides insight into the biggest news stories, and key factors that\nwe believe are currently impacting the market such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Economy Powers\nHigher in Q1 \u2013 <\/strong>As expected, the U.S. economy roared back to life in the\nfirst quarter, growing at a +6.4% annualized rate and leaving the economy just\nshy of its pre-pandemic GDP peak. With demand continuing apace, and with\ncontinued strength in jobs, manufacturing, and housing as described below, the\nU.S. appears highly likely to grow to its largest size ever (as measured by\nGDP) in the second quarter. In fact, nominal GDP \u2013 which is not adjusted for\ninflation \u2013 has already posted an all-time high, so not much growth is required\nto reach a new real GDP record. Compare the U.S.\u2019s economic rebound from\nCovid-19 with the nation\u2019s economic rebound from the 2008 Global Financial\nCrisis, and one will discover an apples-to-oranges comparison. It took the\neconomy some 3 years to reach a new high after the financial crisis, compared\nto just over a year this time around. The U.S. economy was bolstered by record\nfiscal and monetary stimulus and a consumer armed with savings and stimulus\npayments. Personal consumption expenditures grew +10.7% in Q1, driving a\nsignificant portion of overall economic gains.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n ___________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking for a Lower-Risk, Income Producing Investment?<\/a><\/strong> We recommend, preferred securities<\/em>, that pay regular dividends and avoid the price volatility of common stocks. Sometimes called \u201ca stock that acts like a bond,\u201d preferred securities offer a fixed dividend that is often higher than the company\u2019s bonds. As you plan your retirement, we want you to feel secure in a strategy that meets your financial goals. In our Zacks\u2019 Preferred Income Strategy Guide, <\/em>we provide helpful information so you can learn more about this investment option. ___________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n Job Openings Flood\nthe Restaurant Industry \u2013 <\/strong>2020 was a rough year for restaurants, to say the\nleast. But as vaccinations pick up and restrictions get loosened, restaurants\nare shifting from trying to lure customers to trying to lure employees. In\nnationwide surveys of restaurant chains and independent restaurants, the\nconsensus is that they are having difficulty finding enough workers to fill out\nkitchens and dining rooms. Some restaurants are getting crafty to encourage\nemployees to return \u2013 Jimmy John\u2019s sandwich restaurant is offering signing\nbonuses, Chipotle is offering college tuition for 6+ month employees interested\nin a food\/agriculture degree, and Taco Bell is offering paid family leave to\nmanagers. McDonald\u2019s is entering the fray, too, exploring what benefits and pay\nthey can offer to attract new workers. Sales at bars and restaurants climbed\n13.4% in March as compared to February, which is the biggest jump since last\nsummer.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Manufacturing and\nFactory Orders Continue Apace \u2013 <\/strong>U.S. orders for durable goods, which are designed\nto last at least 3 years, rose 0.5% month-over-month in March, which marks 10\nout of 11 months of growth. Manufacturers are also reporting robust hiring\nactivity, adding personnel, increasing hours, and pushing up wages. The\nmanufacturing survey\u2019s employment index \u2013 which measures wages and benefits \u2013\nis at its highest level ever. The Dallas Federal Reserve released data this\nweek underscoring the broad-based strength. In it, they found business activity\nat its strongest since June 2018 with new orders eclipsing their highest levels\non record.4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Housing Market Stays\nRed Hot \u2013 <\/strong>The U.S. housing market continues its strong ascent, with home\nprice growth pushing through to a 15-year high in February. Strength in the\nhousing market is a result of classic supply and demand forces: the number of\nhomes for sale approached a record low, while demand for houses continues apace\non the heels of low mortgage rates and a desire to relocate out of cities to\nsuburban houses with more remote workspace. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller\nNational Home Price Index rose 12% from February 2020 to February 2021, which\nmarks the highest annual rate of price growth since February 2006 \u2013 which, it\nshould be noted, is around when the housing bubble burst in the previous cycle.5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Where to Turn for a Lower-risk, Income Producing\nInvestment? \u2013 <\/strong>Currently, the economy is on its way to recovery, and even\nthough we can\u2019t predict the future, there are ways you can better plan and\nprotect your investments in retirement. Many investors may be wondering where\nto turn for a lower-risk, income-producing investment. We recommend Preferred\nSecurities,<\/em> and to help you understand exactly how it can benefit your\nfinancial future, we have created a Zacks Preferred Income Strategy\nGuide<\/em>.6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n This guide will help you learn more about\npreferred securities and generating cash flow and income with our Preferred\nIncome Strategy. You\u2019ll find helpful information including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have $500,000 or more to invest and want\nto learn more, click on the link below:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" U.S. GDP nears all-time high, manufacturing continues to grow, home prices at 15-year high <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-private-client-group","category-steady-investors-week"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10404,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9555\/revisions\/10404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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As we witness the economy slowly recovering, investors, especially those who are trying to build their retirement portfolio, are seeking more financial options. For investors looking to avoid the price volatility of common stocks, there is an option for a lower-risk, income producing-investment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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If you have $500,000 or more to invest and want to learn more, click on the link below to get your free copy:
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Learn About Zacks\u2019 Preferred Income Strategies!<\/a>2<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n