GuideStone® was originally established in 1918 to provide financial support and assistance for retired pastors and widows. Today, we continue to carry out that mission through the ministry of Mission:Dignity®. Here’s an encouraging devotional from one of our recipients:
No PartialityRomans 2:11 (NIV)
Dale Johnson authored this issue’s devotional. He served the Lord alongside his wife, Cynthia, for 13 years.
Romans 2:11 (NKJV) says, “For there is no partiality with God.” And aren’t we grateful! When we start each day with gratefulness, we please God.
In life, there’s partiality from our parents, siblings and most family members. But with the Father, he chose to adopt us as children.
When Jesus said to the apostles, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them,” in Matthew 19:14 (NKJV), he meant you and me! How exciting to pause and thank God in prayer — praising him every day without fail.
Maybe you’ve done something in your life, and you can’t get over it. You think our God is only partial to “good” people. Nope! Not true! That lie is a part of Satan’s scheme to rob us of God’s joy, peace and love. What good news! God’s love and forgiveness are available to anyone.
Join me today in being grateful as you think about these awesome words from his Word and Holy Spirit — just for you and me!
Want more devotionals? Our 40-day devotional book written by our Mission:Dignity recipients is available to order here.
Across the Markets
U.S. equities opened the week lower after President Trump announced 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports and a 10% levy on Chinese goods effective February 1. However, the President later postponed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for 30 days, providing some relief and helping stocks recover losses. Despite the rebound, the S&P 500® and Russell 2000® indices ended the week down 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively.
The U.S. Treasury yield curve flattened this week, with the 2-year yield rising nine basis points week-over-week to 4.29%. The 10-year yield fell for the third time in four weeks, closing at 4.49% on Friday, down from a recent high of 4.79%. Softer-than-expected employment data likely contributed to the yield decline across most maturities as investors continued to assess inflation, the impact of tariffs, and Federal Reserve policy.
Gold continued its impressive run, with the New York gold spot price rising more than 2% week over week and rallying over 40% over the past year, as investors continue to seek inflation protection.
In January, eurozone headline inflation rose to 2.5% year-over-year, up from 2.4% in December, while core inflation held steady at 2.7%, exceeding expectations. The European Central Bank now faces a challenging scenario as inflation remains elevated while economic growth in the region has flatlined.
The Bank of England lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.5% amid stagnant economic growth and halved its U.K. economic growth forecast for 2025 to 0.75%.
In the Economy
The January nonfarm payrolls report signaled a solid yet gradually cooling job market. Job growth slowed in January, with nonfarm payrolls rising by 143,000, down from a revised 307,000 in December. The unemployment rate stood at 4.0%, slightly below the 4.1% consensus forecast.
The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index fell, dropping 3.3 points to a seven-month low of 67.8 amid rising inflation concerns linked to tariffs and trade wars. Consumers now expect prices to rise 4.3% over the next year — a whole percentage point higher than the previous month — while long-term inflation expectations edged up to 3.3% for the next five to ten years.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing climbed 1.7 points to 50.9 in January, marking its first expansion since 2022. Prices, production, employment, and new orders all increased, signaling a long-awaited rebound for a sector. While multiple industry respondents reported a strong start to 2025, concerns over supply chain disruptions and tariffs persist.
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The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe and is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index, representing approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure that larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the actual small-cap opportunity set. Frank Russell Company ("Russell") is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. "Russell®" is a trademark of Frank Russell Company. Neither Russell nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the Russell Indexes and/or Russell ratings and/or underlying data and no party may rely on any Russell Indexes and/or Russell ratings and/or underlying data contained in this communication. No further distribution of Russell Data is permitted without Russell's express written consent. Russell does not promote, sponsor or endorse the content of this communication. Index used with permission. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (MCSI) is a monthly survey of consumer confidence levels in the United States conducted by the University of Michigan. The survey is based on telephone interviews that gather information on consumer expectations for the economy.
The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is an indicator of the prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors. The indicator is compiled and released monthly by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), a nonprofit supply management organization. It is a diffusion index that summarizes whether market conditions are expanding, staying the same, or contracting, as viewed by purchasing managers.
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