This assignment requires that you write a letter to the clients of a financial management company. These clients entrust the company with their money so that it can be invested. Each quarter, you must write a letter to summarize the the economic changes that influenced the performance of client's portfolio. This letter will explain economic conditions during the last quarter (April 1 - June 30). Your overt intention is to clearly explain these forces, but you must also convey the idea that there are many forces that affect the performance of stocks; these forces lie outside the company's control. The letter should not exceed 800 words. See below for formatting requirements.

You will not need to do any research for this assignment. The relevant economic facts are available at Economic Background .

As with the previous assignment, this one emphasizes the importance of assessing the writing situation before beginning to create a document. After you have submitted your letter, we will compare it to the letter of a investment firm that has earned high marks for both its financial performance and for its ability to convey understandable information in all its communications.

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Pre-Writing: Ask yourself each of the questions below, and then write a brief answer to each one. These must be submitted with the paper, but they are not directly part of the letter. These answers count toward your final score.

• Who is the audience; what are its anxieties?
  
  
• Why do these anxieties matter to you and your company?
  
  
• What kinds of information serve your audience's needs?
  
  
• What kinds of information serve your company's needs?
  
  
• What is your relation to the audience?
  
  
• What voice will best use your relation to the audience so that you can
  • convey information;
  • address the company's needs;
  • address the audience's needs?
  
  
• What is the format for a formal business letter?
  • Are sub-headings appropriate? Why? Why not?
  • Are bulleted lists appropriate? Why? Why not?

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Formatting Requirements

Visit The Basic Business Letter at the Purdue OWL, and follow the formatting instructions for "Block Format."