January 2013 Dividend Gems Opening Statement

Last Friday the Labor Department reported that non-farm payrolls grew by 155,000 jobs last month, slightly below November's level. Last Tuesday marked the commencement of Q4 earnings, with Alcoa meeting estimates on higher than expected revenues and raising 2013 global aluminum demand. This is important because it indicates that China is stabilizing. Modest progress continues to be made in several sectors in the U.S. economy including housing and construction.