[Certified Financial Group]

The Markets
At long last: Proverbial corks were flying last week as the Nasdaq finally broke its 15-year-old record, set in March 2000, to close the week at 5092.08. The 3.25% weekly jump was driven largely by earnings reports from several large technology stalwarts. The S&P 500 also posted a new high, as indexes other than the Nasdaq posted weekly gains ranging from 1.25% to 1.75%.

Last Week's Headlines
• Existing home sales jumped 6.1% in March to their highest level in 18 months, reported the National Association of Realtors® . Sales rose to a seasonally adjusted 5.19 million homes, up from 4.89 million homes in February. Sales in March were 10.4% higher than a year prior, and March's jump was the largest monthly increase since December 2010.
• Sales of new single-family homes dropped 11.4% in March, to a seasonally adjusted 481,000 units, according to estimates reported by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The median sales price of new homes sold in March was $277,400, while the average price was $343,300.
• Durable goods orders increased 4% in March to $240.2 billion, reported the Commerce Department. Transportation equipment, up 13.5% to $80.3 billion, led the increase. Within the transportation category, nondefense aircraft and parts drove the increase, up 30.6% from February. Excluding transportation, orders fell 0.2% for the month.

Eye on the Week
Ahead As investors monitor the Nasdaq and S&P 500 to see if their lofty levels can be sustained, markets may respond to several key economic news items, including a Federal Open Market Committee announcement, the advance estimate of the Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, pending home sales, personal income and outlays figures, and the ISM Manufacturing Index reading.

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All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made as to its accuracy or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities, and should not be relied on as financial advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful. Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. 2015.