December 31, 2019

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND HERE

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra presents Soul Songbook on New Years Eve – Praised by critics for her overwhelming range and high-voltage delivery, fast-rising Shayna Steele’s vocal power is matched only by her versatility—from Broadway productions of Rent and Jesus Christ Superstar to her stage and studio work with Bette Midler, John Legend, Rihanna, and Moby. Tonight Shayna and her world-class band hold court with their favorites and yours: Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and many more queens of soul! This event is at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall from 7:30-9:30pm.

ECONOMY AND EQUITY MARKETS

Ending on a High Note

U.S. stocks extended their recent run of posting modest weekly gains and pushing their record levels slightly higher, with the major indexes rising nearly 1%. For the S&P 500, it was the fifth weekly gain in a row and the 11th positive week out of the past twelve.

Painful Memory

The steady gains that the major stock indexes recorded in the closing weeks of 2019 have been a stark contrast with 2018’s volatile ending. On December 24, 2018, the S&P 500 fell to a level that was 19.78% below a high that it had recorded just three months earlier.

NEWS AND TRENDS

A Decent Return – The Hallmark Channel produced 40 separate holiday movies for its annual “Countdown to Christmas” bonanza, with an average budget of $2 million. The ad revenue for Hallmark in 2018? $600 million.

Growing Crowdfunding – Some $9 billion has been raised on the charitable crowdfunding site GoFundMe through more than 120 million donations since 2010. This year, a fundraiser was started every eight seconds.

This Week

Tuesday: Consumer Confidence Index

Friday: U.S. Census Bureau, Vehicle sales

Index	Started Week	Ended Week	Change	% Change	YTD %
DJIA	28455.09	28645.26	190.17	0.7	22.8
Nasdaq	8924.96	9006.62	81.66	0.9	35.7
S&P 500	3221.22	3240.02	18.80	0.6	29.2

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Confidentiality has been a major part of our commitment to earning your trust since this company was formed in 1985.  Please be assured that we collect only the personal information you supply to us, and it is viewed solely by the associates who need to be aware of it to provide you with the proper services.  Our company policies and procedures protect confidential material.  We do not sell, share or disclose any information unless we are legally required to do so.  We maintain physical and electronic safeguards to protect personal information.

Please contact your advisor if there are any changes in your financial situation or investment objectives, or if you wish to make any changes to the management of your account.   G.L. Smith & Associates cannot transfer or assign management contracts to any other party without the client’s written consent.

G.L.S. & Associates, Inc and G.L. Smith & Associates are registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board as Broker-Dealer and with the Securities and Exchange Commission as Registered Investment Advisor, respectively. Our current disclosure statement is set forth on our Form ADV and is available at our website, www.glsainc.com.

We are members of and our accounts are covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.  SIPC protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash).   You may obtain additional information by contacting SIPC at (202)371-8300 or visit their website at www.sipc.org.

Securities offered through G.L.S. & Associates, Inc.     Member FINRA, MSRB, and SIPC

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

The Nasdaq Composite Index is an unmanaged, market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System.

Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.

*A Decent Return…(Source: Qz.com)

*Growing Crowdfunding….(Source: People.com)