What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, you can read about it here. And once in a while, we may throw in a movie review or some other surprise. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.
The Markets Adding new ingredients to the economic blender. The performance of United States economy in 2023 has been as unexpected as a lentil-avocado-cinnamon smoothie – a tasty surprise. Last week, economic data suggested the...
Read MoreThe Markets All the work, work, work. 2023 has been a remarkable year so far. It has, “confounded economists, humbled forecasters, and rewarded investors. Despite a rapid rise in interest rates, the U.S. economy continues...
Read MoreThe Markets Lowering inflation. If you’ve ever waited in traffic while the center section of a bridge lifts to allow ships and sailboats to pass underneath, you may have noticed the enormous counterweight that lowers as the...
Read MoreThe Markets Becalmed. The Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy took the wind from the sails of its economy. When the government finally ended the policy earlier this year, many economists anticipated that pent-up consumer...
Read MoreThe Markets Higher bond yields may be good for income investors – and not so good for stock markets. After more than a decade of near-zero interest rates, the “free money” era – a time when people and businesses...
Read MoreThe Markets Consumer sentiment is a lagging indicator. It’s also a contrarian indicator. After rising sharply in June and July, consumer sentiment leveled off this month. The preliminary August reading for the University of...
Read MoreThe Markets An unwelcome surprise. Last week, Fitch Ratings startled markets by lowering the credit rating of United States Treasuries from AAA to AA+. It was the second rating agency to downgrade U.S. Treasuries; Standard &...
Read MoreThe Markets Central bank palooza! While music lovers attended concerts and festivals across the United States, central banks had a lollapalooza of their own. The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) led things off last Wednesday, followed by the...
Read MoreThe MarketsBetter than expected.In January of this year, the Bloomberg’s MLIV Pulse survey collected and shared investors’ expectations for stock markets. Survey participants were generally a gloomy group. Seventy percent...
Read MoreThe MarketsDisinflation was in the air!To the great relief of the Federal Reserve, the American economy has been experiencing “disinflation,” which is a slowdown in the rate of inflation. For example, last week we learned...
Read MoreThe MarketsMarkets are playing Federal Reserve (Fed) Clue.Last week, investors parsed the monthly Employment Situation Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for clues about whether the Fed will raise the federal funds rate at its...
Read MoreThe MarketsShowing remarkable resilience.Throughout the first half of 2023, the U.S. economy and financial markets proved to be resilient – and so did investors. U.S. stock markets moved higher amid enthusiasm for artificial...
Read MoreThe MarketsThe Artificial Intelligence (AI) Express is traveling fast.Investors are enthusiastic about AI. Late last year, an AI research lab introduced a chatbot that could answer questions – and people were enthralled. Within...
Read MoreThe MarketsRebalancing ahead!There is one decision all investors should make: how to allocate the money they’re investing. Asset allocation decisions are usually based on a myriad of factors: expected returns, potential...
Read MoreThe MarketsLeaping over the wall of worry.The “wall of worry” is an obstacle – or set of obstacles – that investors face. This year, the wall reached a considerable height as inflation, the War in Ukraine,...
Read MoreThe MarketsAs Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”Gomer Pyle USMC was a popular American sitcom in the 1960s. It focused on a naïve, do-gooding auto mechanic from Mayberry RFD who joined the military...
Read MoreThe MarketsIt’s a three-ring circus!For centuries people have embraced the circus. Enjoying the sticky fluff of cotton candy while elephants, clowns and trapeze artists perform in the spotlights. Merriam Webster Dictionary...
Read MoreThe Markets Investors aren’t happy, but stocks are up.If you ever participated in a fantasy football league, you may have experienced a run on a position during your draft. One person picks a kicker or defense mid-round and,...
Read MoreThe MarketsBrace yourself! The debt ceiling standoff continues.Consumers aren’t optimistic. The Consumer Sentiment Index fell to a six-month low in May, dropping 9.1 percent month-to-month. Participants in the University of...
Read MoreThe MarketsGet real!Despite more than a year of aggressive Federal Reserve rate increases, the United States economy is still growing, albeit more slowly. U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) – the value of all goods and services...
Read MoreThe MarketsBetter than expected.It’s earnings season – the time when publicly traded companies report on how profitable they were during the first quarter of 2023. So far, reports suggest that companies listed on United...
Read MoreThe MarketsKeep your eye on the big picture.Last week, there was nothing too surprising in economic and financial news.Inflation eased, as expected, although it remained above the Federal Reserve (Fed)’s target rate. The Treasury...
Read MoreThe MarketsAmbiguous images.Some illustrations are optical illusions. When two people view the picture, they may see completely different images. A good example is Rubin’s Vase. One viewer may see a vase, while another...
Read MoreThe Markets Perhaps we should call this a pushmi-pullyu market. The first quarter of 2023 brought Dr. Dolittle’s pushmi-pullyu – the rarest animal of all – to mind. It is the offspring of goat-antelopes and...
Read MoreThe Markets What’s your jam?When you think of fun, are you running an Arctic marathon? Biking to your favorite burger place? Gaming with friends online? Each has inherent risk: Polar bears and hypothermia, traffic and flat...
Read MoreThe Markets Unknowns and uncertainty.Financial markets were volatile last week as investors parsed the risks around bank closures, central banks offered additional protections for depositors, and regulators took a harder look at bank...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary | March 13, 2023Thrown for a loop.Early last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress the Fed is committed to bringing inflation down to 2 percent. If economic data continues to come in hot, he...
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Monday, March 6, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary | March 06, 2023The MarketsSibling discord.Stocks and bonds are two of the better-known asset classes in the family of potential investments. Last week, they were in opposition.Bond yields have been moving...
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Monday, February 27, 2023
The Markets Is it good news or bad news? The answer depends on your perspective. Last week, we learned that:Consumer sentiment is at its highest level in more than a year. Consumers are feeling better about current economic...
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Tuesday, February 21, 2023
The Markets Brace for a bumpy ride. There were some unwelcome surprises in last week’s economic data that caused markets to reassess expectations for 2023. For example:Inflation didn’t fall as fast as expected....
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Monday, February 13, 2023
The Markets This time may be different...or it may not be. There has been a lot of speculation about how the Federal Reserve’s policies will affect the United States economy. Economists have differing opinions about...
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Monday, February 6, 2023
The Markets What do Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) and the current economic expansion have in common? Author and humorist Twain was prematurely reported to be dead. It first happened in 1897. Twain was on a speaking tour...
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Monday, January 30, 2023
The MarketsThe vicious cycle of inflation.Last week, we learned that pay increases at central banks in many parts of the world won’t keep pace with inflation. As a result, their employees may not be able to maintain the standards...
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Tuesday, January 24, 2023
The Markets“It’s hard to be a contrarian for very long these days because the consensus seems to change so quickly,” opined Ed Yardeni via LinkedIn last week.We’ve certainly seen a shift in investors’...
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Wednesday, January 18, 2023
The MarketsBullish or bearish?After last year’s geopolitical turmoil, economic malaise, and tumultuous stock market decline, many financial professionals – from investors to asset managers – have strong opinions about...
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Tuesday, January 10, 2023
The Markets It’s being called the “Goldilocks” report. Last Friday, we learned that demand for workers in the United States remained strong in 2022. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in December....
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Tuesday, January 3, 2023
The MarketsIt’s finally over.2022 was a dismal year for financial markets. Major United States stock indices moved lower, trimming or eliminating the previous year’s gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which had...
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Tuesday, December 27, 2022
The MarketsWhat a year! In some ways, it feels as though we lived through several years in 2022. The onslaught of events included, “The first major European war since the 1990s, unprecedented sanctions, energy-price mayhem,...
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Monday, December 19, 2022
The Markets Bad news is bad news, once again. For months, investors have cheered bad economic news. When the United States economy showed signs of weakness, stock markets often reflected investor enthusiasm. The thinking was...
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Monday, December 12, 2022
The MarketsWhat comes next?The U.S. stock market tends to be a forward-looking vehicle. Investors make decisions today based on what they think may be ahead for the economy, and how economic change may affect the companies...
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Monday, December 5, 2022
The MarketsWhat will it take to slow this economy down? In 2001, railway workers slowed a runaway train in Ohio by latching a second engine to the back of the locomotive and applying the brakes. In all, the train traveled...
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Monday, November 28, 2022
The MarketsThere was a shift in the winds of monetary policy.Last week, it became clear the Federal Reserve (Fed) had softened its hawkish stance. The minutes of the central bank’s November policy meeting indicated the Fed was...
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Monday, November 21, 2022
The MarketsThanksgiving and football go together like turkey and stuffing.For some families, though, this year may be more like a turducken, stuffed with American football and the sport the rest of the world knows as football (soccer)....
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Monday, November 14, 2022
The MarketsLast week was remarkable for many reasons.One reason is that sky watchers around the world had an opportunity to see a total lunar eclipse. The moon, Earth and sun aligned, causing the moon to appear crimson. We won’t...
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Monday, November 7, 2022
Weekly Market CommentaryNovember 07, 2022 The MarketsIt’s the lag time.To no one’s surprise, the Federal Reserve continued to battle inflation last week, raising the federal funds rate for the fourth time this year,...
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Monday, October 31, 2022
The MarketsSome companies are doing better than others – a lot better.It’s earnings season; the time when companies share how well they performed during the previous quarter. Earnings reports are important because they...
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Monday, October 24, 2022
The MarketsMarkets turned – again.Markets continue to be volatile. Last week, stocks headed north. Nicholas Jasinski of Barron’s reported the change of direction reflected investors’ desire for the market to finally...
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Tuesday, October 18, 2022
The Markets We’re not there yet.Investors are understandably eager for the stock market to hit bottom. Some hoped it happened last week, but it did not. Despite the Fed’s rate hikes, last week the Consumer Price...
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Monday, October 10, 2022
The Markets Bah humbug! Last week, OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied oil producers like Russia, chose to cut production by two million barrels a day. The stated goal is to...
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Tuesday, October 4, 2022
The MarketsThe third quarter marked a change in attitude.So far, 2022 has been a tough year for investing. We’ve experienced an unusual phenomenon – the simultaneous decline of stock and bond markets. Throughout the third...
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Monday, September 26, 2022
The MarketsCentral bank tightening sparked recession fears.Last week, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised the federal funds rate for the fifth time this year. During 2022, the Fed has lifted its benchmark rate from near zero to 3.12...
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Monday, September 19, 2022
The MarketsIt’s open to interpretation.Jackson Pollock was an action painter. He poured, dropped, and dripped paint onto horizontal canvases. Some people look at his work and wonder why it’s highly valued. Others find deep...
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Monday, September 12, 2022
The MarketsCentral banks are hawkish. Stocks popped higher, anyway.Last week, despite signs that inflation is slowing, U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) officials emphasized their commitment to tightening monetary policy to lower inflation....
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Tuesday, September 6, 2022
The MarketsYou may have heard this one: Don’t fight the Fed.The Fed is the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. Among other things, the Fed influences monetary conditions in pursuit of price stability and full employment....
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Monday, August 29, 2022
The MarketsMarkets were tuned to the signals coming from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.During World War II, United States armed forces often relied on high-powered radio sets to communicate. When determining whether transmissions were garbled...
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Monday, August 22, 2022
The MarketsIs this a bear market rally or a new bull market?Investment professionals are in the middle of a heated debate. Since mid-June, United States stock markets have moved higher, regaining about $7 trillion as many investors who...
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Monday, August 15, 2022
The MarketsRally caps were waving. In recent weeks, investors have embraced the idea that economic data will persuade the Federal Reserve to slow the pace of rate hikes. Last week’s inflation data fanned their enthusiasm.The...
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Monday, August 8, 2022
The MarketsThe strength of the United States economy continues to surprise. If you have ever been camping, you may have banked your campfire by covering the hot coals with ash. It’s a process that keeps the coals burning low...
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Monday, August 1, 2022
The MarketA lot of people are worried that a recession may be in our future. Some think it may already be here.Unemployment is low (3.6 percent), and inflation is high (9.1 percent). Both tend to occur when an economy is experiencing...
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Monday, July 25, 2022
The MarketsA lot of people are worried that a recession may be in our future. Some think it may already be here.Unemployment is low (3.6 percent), and inflation is high (9.1 percent). Both tend to occur when an economy is experiencing...
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Monday, July 18, 2022
The MarketsNobody is happy, but Americans are feeling more optimistic.Last week, headlines blasted the new inflation numbers. Prices were up more than 9% year-over-year in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s...
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Monday, July 11, 2022
The Markets Rising inflation is a bit like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store. The red-faced parent, in this case the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed), tries to calm the child. Sometimes, it works and the child...
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Tuesday, July 5, 2022
The MarketsThe first six months of 2022 have earned a place in history books.2022 is likely to become part of the lore passed from generation to generation. Stories will be told about this bear market, as well as the remarkable...
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Monday, June 27, 2022
The MarketsLast week, bad news was good news.Consumers were feeling blue in June, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey. The survey scored sentiment at 50, which was the lowest level on record. Surveys of...
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Tuesday, June 21, 2022
The MarketsThe fight against inflation intensified.Last week, the Federal Reserve (Fed) delivered a message that it is serious about fighting inflation. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lifted the federal funds target rate by 0...
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Monday, June 13, 2022
The MarketsInflation is proving to be far more tenacious than markets had hoped.The idea that inflation peaked in March was put to rest last week when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that inflation accelerated in May. Overall,...
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Monday, June 6, 2022
The MarketsHow strong is the United States economy?That’s the question investors were mulling after last week’s jobs report.More jobs were created in May than economists expected, and the labor force participation rate rose...
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Tuesday, May 31, 2022
The MarketsInvestors reassessed and markets bounced.Last week, major U.S. stock indices moved higher for the first time in weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 6.2 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 6...
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Monday, November 29, 2021
The Markets COVID-19 strikes again. Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Europe, climbing from about 700,000 new cases a week in September to 2.6 million a week in November, reported Richard Pérez-Peña and Jason...
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Monday, November 22, 2021
The Markets Thinking about the possibilities. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished last week slightly higher and has gained about 6 percent during the past 25 days; however, investors have curbed their enthusiasm. The...
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Monday, November 15, 2021
The Markets Economists like to joke that inflation is just right when no one notices it. Last week, investors noticed it. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a measure of inflation, rose 0.9 percent in October and 6.2 percent over...
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Monday, November 8, 2021
The Markets Feeling bullish… Investor bullishness ticked higher last week on all four investor sentiment gauges tracked by Barron’s. Investor optimism may have been fanned by positive financial and economic news. For...
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Monday, November 1, 2021
The Markets The road to recovery is slow and bumpy. Last week, we learned that economic growth slowed in the third quarter as a new wave of COVID-19 surged across the United States, reported The Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross...
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Monday, October 25, 2021
The Markets It’s MESSI! No, this commentary is not about Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer phenom who is widely regarded one of the greatest footballers of all time. However, it is about something that economists say may be as...
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Monday, October 18, 2021
The Markets Don’t get spooked! Barron’s Big Money Poll is an exclusive survey of market sentiment among professional investors. Last week, Nicholas Jasinski reported on 2021’s findings: “America’s money...
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Monday, October 11, 2021
The Markets The word “jouncy” may have started life as a combination of bouncy and jolting – and it’s a pretty good way to describe what happened to stock markets last week. The week started with the Standard &...
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Monday, October 4, 2021
The Markets September strikes again… If you look back over the last 20 years, September has been the worst performing month for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, according to Nasdaq. This year, the S&P 500 dropped 4.8...
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Monday, September 27, 2021
The Markets Central banks have a lot of influence on investors, markets and economies. For the last year or so, the Federal Reserve has been purchasing $120 billion of bonds every month to ensure United States markets remained liquid...
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Monday, September 20, 2021
The Markets In recent weeks, bullish sentiment has drifted lower like sediment settling after a storm. Every month, Bank of America (BofA) surveys global asset managers. The most recent survey, which was conducted in early September,...
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Monday, September 13, 2021
The Markets The Delta variant could take a toll on economic growth. There was some good news last week. The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States declined. The bad news was that the rate of infection remained...
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
The Markets Stagflation isn’t trending, but it was mentioned in quite a few headlines last week. Stagflation is a portmanteau of ‘stagnation’ and ‘inflation.’ It occurs when a country experiences slow...
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Monday, August 30, 2021
The Markets “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder,” advised the Persian poet Rumi. Last week, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s words helped grow the week’s...
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Monday, August 23, 2021
The Markets Markets were shaken last week by a potent cocktail of central bank tapering and economic growth concerns mixed with coronavirus and a splash of the new Chinese privacy law. On Wednesday, the minutes of the United States...
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Monday, August 16, 2021
The Markets What is the most important driver of economic growth in the United States? The most common way to measure economic output is Gross Domestic Product or GDP. It’s the value of all goods and services produced in our...
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Monday, August 9, 2021
The Markets Are we there yet? For months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually lead to higher interest rates. Last week, a...
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Sunday, August 1, 2021
The Markets The Chinese dragon cast a shadow over free trade and foreign investment last week. For decades, investors have recognized the investment potential of China. Since the country opened to foreign trade and investment in 1979,...
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Monday, July 26, 2021
The Markets Shortest ever. Last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finally announced the official dates for the recession that occurred in 2020. Economic activity peaked in February 2020 and bottomed in April 2020....
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Tuesday, July 20, 2021
The Markets The term “peak growth” has become almost as popular as the comedy show Ted Lasso. Peak growth is a catchphrase with the potential to mislead. When the term is applied to the U.S. economy, it does not mean the...
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Thursday, July 15, 2021
The Markets There was a gapers’ block in financial markets last week as equity investors slowed to see what the United States Treasury bond market was up to. U.S. Treasury bonds rallied last week. Yields on 10-year Treasuries...
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Thursday, July 15, 2021
The Markets The world is about halfway back to normal. The Economist developed the Global Normalcy Index (GNI) to measure the post-pandemic return to normal. In March 2020, the GNI was 35 overall, with 100 being the normal pre-pandemic...
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Tuesday, June 29, 2021
The Markets What begins with the letter “I”? Infrastructure is essential and sometimes taken for granted. Pipes carry drinking water to our homes, offices, and healthcare facilities, and carry away sewage and wastewater....
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Monday, June 21, 2021
The Markets Is that a hawk? The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) met last week. They get together eight times a year to review current economic and financial conditions, assess risks to price stability and economic growth,...
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Monday, June 14, 2021
The Markets It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. Media analysts were plucking the inflation daisy petals last week. On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the...
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Monday, June 7, 2021
The Markets Pulling the economy out of the shed. If you’ve ever stored tools or machinery in a shed or garage for an extended period of time, you know they often need some care and repair to function properly. The same appears...
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Tuesday, June 1, 2021
The Markets Are we at a tipping point? One side effect of the pandemic was a collapse in demand for oil, which led to “the largest revision to the value of the oil industry’s assets in at least a decade,” reported...
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Monday, May 24, 2021
The Markets What do markets hate? They hate uncertainty, and recently there has been plenty of it. Some of the questions plaguing economists and pundits include: Why aren’t people returning to work? Americans, like people in...
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Monday, May 17, 2021
The Markets Uncle Inflation is here. Will he overstay his welcome? Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have pursued expansionary monetary policies to encourage reflation and avoid deflation. Well, it’s taken some time,...
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Monday, May 10, 2021
The Markets Like a gender reveal gone wrong, last week’s employment report delivered an unexpected surprise. Economists estimated 975,000 new jobs would be created in April. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)...
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Monday, May 3, 2021
The Markets It’s Spring and economic recovery is in the air. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the U.S. economy grew at a 6.4 percent annualized rate for the first three months of 2021. While that’s good...
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Monday, April 26, 2021
The Markets It wasn’t just the price of pork chops. Last week, as investors weighed the news, strong corporate earnings were offset by higher grocery prices and rising numbers of global coronavirus cases. Solid corporate...
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Monday, April 19, 2021
The Markets Where are Treasury bonds going? The direction of bond yields is influenced by investors’ expectations for economic growth, among other factors. When economic growth is expected to weaken, bond yields tend to move...
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Monday, April 12, 2021
The Markets Investors didn’t stumble over inflation last week. Why not? Inflation – rising prices of goods and services – can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, the Consumer Price Index considers changes...
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Monday, April 5, 2021
The Markets Zoom, zoom, zoom. Big economies tend to recover from recessions about as quickly as semi-trucks accelerate from stop lights. In other words, recovery tends to be slow. That may not be the case this time. “Everything...
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Monday, March 29, 2021
The Markets Last week, unemployment claims were looking good and consumers were feeling good. The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits declined. Just 684,000 people filed claims during the week of March 20,...
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Monday, March 22, 2021
The Markets What are professional asset managers thinking? Bank of America recently published the results of its March global asset managers’ survey, which polls 220 professional investors responsible for about $630 billion in...
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Monday, March 15, 2021
The Markets Investors had a lot to be enthusiastic about last week. Major stock indices in the United States soared, finishing the week higher and setting new records along the way, reported Al Root of Barron’s. There was plenty...
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Tuesday, March 9, 2021
The Markets Neanderthal DNA may make people more – or less – susceptible to COVID-19, reported The Economist. It all depends on whether you have the genes and, if you do, which DNA string you inherited. No matter what your...
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Monday, March 1, 2021
The Markets Students of financial markets may have noted a historically unusual event last week. On Thursday, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes briefly matched the dividend yield for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index....
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Monday, February 22, 2021
The Markets It’s a contrarian’s dream come true. Contrarian investors like to buck the trend. They buy when other investors are selling and sell when others are buying. Last week, Bank of America (BofA) delivered a...
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021
The Markets Way back, when radio disk jockeys played 45-rpm vinyl singles, the A-side of a disk was the song the record company was promoting and the other side – the flip side – held a song that sometimes had an equal or...
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Monday, February 8, 2021
The Markets It’s not a black diamond ski run yet, but the yield curve for U.S. Treasuries is steeper than it has been in a while. A yield curve is the line on a graph showing yields for different maturities of bonds. Yield curves...
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Monday, February 1, 2021
The Markets They say people watching the same event often see different things. That seems to have been the case last week when share prices of a few companies experienced tremendous volatility. Some cast the events as a David vs....
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Monday, January 25, 2021
The Markets Last week, as COVID-19 vaccination efforts continued, there was speculation about stock market corrections and asset bubbles. On Sunday morning, Bloomberg reported 63 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been...
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Markets Investors were rocked by economic data showing the economy hit the brakes hard in December. Last week, major U.S. stock indices decelerated as investors gaped at the economic damage caused by the rising number of...
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Monday, January 11, 2021
The Markets The event at the United States Capitol building had a resounding impact around the world, but it didn’t deter global stock markets. Last week, investors weighed the violent disruption of America’s 2020...
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Monday, January 4, 2021
The Markets Last week was the cherry on top of a turbulent year for investors. After the $900 billion fiscal stimulus bill was signed on Sunday, major U.S. stock indices moved higher. The Washington Post reported, “The S&P...
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Monday, December 28, 2020
The Markets U.S. stock markets remained calm as a fresh chapter opened in the coronavirus stimulus saga last week. Congress managed to cobble together a new stimulus package that was acceptable to both sides and pass it. The proposed...
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Monday, December 21, 2020
The Markets Congress is at $900 billion, will they hear $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion, governments at $900 billion, who’ll go $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion… The stimulus auction continued last week. Early on Sunday, The New...
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Monday, December 14, 2020
The Markets When it comes to beverages, frothy can be delicious. In what may be the least inspiring description of fizzy drinks ever written, a group of food engineers explained, “Aeration in beverages, which is manifested as...
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Monday, December 7, 2020
The Markets When is bad news good news? Take a look at last week. Major stock indices in the United States hit all-time highs on Friday, despite a lackluster employment report and a surge in COVID-19 cases, reported Lewis Krauskopf of...
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Monday, November 30, 2020
The Markets Last week, vaccine optimism immunized investors against signs of economic weakness. In previous commentaries we’ve written about narrative economics, which holds that popular stories may affect individual and...
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Monday, November 23, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary November 23, 2020 The Markets The U.S. economy is like a semi-trailer truck. No one likes being stuck behind a semi at a stoplight because big trucks don’t go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Neither does...
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Monday, November 16, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary November 16, 2020 The Markets Vaccine can be a powerful word. It’s worth 14 points in Scrabble (42 on a triple word square) and, last week, it was worth a whole lot more than that to financial markets. On...
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Monday, November 9, 2020
The Markets It’s said markets hate uncertainty, but that wasn’t the case last week. Despite tremendous uncertainty about the outcome of the United States election, major domestic and international stock indices moved...
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Monday, November 2, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary November 2, 2020 The Markets Last week, financial markets and economic data told very different stories. Reviewing economic data is a bit like looking in a rearview mirror. Typically, it offers information...
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Monday, October 26, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary October 26, 2020 The Markets Stimulus talks led investors in a merry dance last week. So far in 2020, stock markets have been sensitive to fiscal stimulus. Last week, there was optimism a new stimulus package...
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Monday, October 19, 2020
The Markets It was a turbulent week for investors. Waves of positive and negative news buffeted financial markets last week: The financial sector delivered upbeat earnings news Currently, many financial companies in the Standard &...
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Tuesday, October 13, 2020
The Markets Yes. No. Maybe? Markets were sharply focused on the status of stimulus last week. First, it was on. Then, it was off. Then, it might be on. Then, it was off again. There was a big bill. There was a smaller bill. There were...
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Monday, October 5, 2020
The Markets Last week, the third quarter of 2020 came to an end – and the fourth quarter delivered a doozy of an October surprise. President Trump has the coronavirus On Friday Americans awoke to the news President Trump had...
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Monday, September 28, 2020
The Markets For four weeks, the U.S. stock market has sparked and sputtered like a campfire in light rain. Today, pandemic-driven demand is providing fuel for the investors. The need for certain types of products and services has...
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Monday, September 21, 2020
The Markets Investors weren’t happy with central banks last week. After the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the economy is recovering more quickly than anticipated:...
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Monday, September 14, 2020
The Markets Last week, the Nasdaq Composite Index set another record. So far, 2020 has been memorable for many reasons, not the least of which is the incredible speed at which some events have been occurring in financial markets. This...
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Tuesday, September 8, 2020
The Markets Stock markets in the United States retreated a bit last week. U.S. stocks have been trending higher for months. Last week, they gave back some gains. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.3 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 2...
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Monday, August 31, 2020
The Markets The stock market rallies like it’s 1986. August has been a good month for stock investors. At the end of last week, the S&P 500 Index was up 6.8 percent for the month. The Index is poised to deliver its best returns...
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Monday, August 24, 2020
The Markets The shortest bear market in history is over. The Nasdaq Composite and Standard & Poor’s 500 Indices finished at new highs last week. The stock market is considered to be a leading economic indicator, so strong stock...
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Monday, August 17, 2020
The Markets The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished the week within a whisker of its February high, reported Randall Forsyth of Barron’s. It’s a remarkable feat. The stock market has recovered in just 175 days....
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Monday, August 10, 2020
The Markets There was good news and bad news in last week’s employment report. The good news was the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics delivered better-than-expected data about employment. In July, the U.S. economy added about 1.8...
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Monday, August 3, 2020
The Markets Last week delivered a mixed bag of financial and economic news. As many expected, the U.S. economy did not fare well during the second quarter. COVID-19 lockdowns and business closings caused productivity to fall by...
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Monday, July 27, 2020
The Markets Where are we on vaccines and treatments? During 2020, the United States government has spent more than $13 billion on Operation Warp Speed (OWS), which is focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and treatments...
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Monday, July 20, 2020
The Markets Is the United States economy recovering or faltering? It depends on who you ask and which data you consider. For example, last week, the Department of Labor reported fewer people applied for first-time unemployment benefits...
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Monday, July 13, 2020
The Markets Please don’t scream inside your heart. Last week, a reopened Japanese theme park asked patrons to wear masks to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. It also asked them not to scream while riding the rollercoaster....
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Monday, July 6, 2020
The Markets What a quarter! Who could have guessed a global pandemic would produce outsized stock market returns? Near the end of last quarter (March 23), the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 30.75 percent for the year, and...
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Monday, June 29, 2020
The Markets Blame it on the coronavirus. Stock markets in the United States and Europe retreated last week as the number of new COVID-19 cases increased steadily in America. On Thursday, there were more than 44,000 new cases, the...
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Monday, June 22, 2020
The Markets Could it be the upside surprises? U.S. stock markets have marched higher despite a pandemic, an economic downturn, and social justice protests – and a lot of people have wondered why. Greg Rosalsky of Plant Money...
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Monday, June 15, 2020
The Markets The Nasdaq Composite dipped its toes into record territory last week before retreating. Stock indices in the United States rallied early last week on optimism about the reopening of businesses across the country. The Nasdaq...
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Monday, June 8, 2020
The Markets The employment report electrified U.S. stock markets last week. American stock markets responded enthusiastically to the news U.S. unemployment was 13.3 percent in May. If it seems inexplicable double-digit unemployment...
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Monday, June 1, 2020
The Markets Are those green shoots? In economic terms, green shoots are signs of improvement. If you were paying close attention, you might have seen some in economic data released last week. They weren’t apparent in the Bureau...
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
The Markets It was a good week for stock markets in the United States, but there was trouble in Asia. U.S. stock markets rallied last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and Nasdaq Composite all...
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Monday, May 18, 2020
The Markets America is reopening, state by state. That’s welcome news for many businesses, but we’re far from business as usual. Last week’s economic news included unemployment hitting an 80-year high, a record drop...
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Monday, May 11, 2020
The Markets The stock market is not the economy. It’s an important point to remember when headlines marvel that U.S. stock markets are moving higher while the U.S. economy is contracting. Stock markets are not mindful of the...
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Monday, May 4, 2020
The Markets There are signs COVID-19 may be in retreat. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control reported, overall in the United States, for the week ending April 25 (officially week 17 of the coronavirus), the number of: People...
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Monday, April 27, 2020
The Markets We live in interesting times. There is discussion about whether the saying, “May you live in interesting times,” is a blessing or a curse. At this point in 2020, we all understand why. Last week, the world...
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Monday, April 20, 2020
The Markets Last week’s economic data was about what you might expect in the midst of a virus crisis that has shut down businesses and forced people to stay home: Retail sales were down 8.7 percent in March. Retail sales track...
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Monday, April 13, 2020
The Markets Why is the stock market doing so well when the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to peak? At the end of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the United States remains in the acceleration phase of the...
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Monday, April 6, 2020
The Markets In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says to her little dog, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” Today, many of us understand Dorothy’s trepidation and uncertainty better than ever before....
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Monday, March 30, 2020
The Markets The United States set some records last week. First, we became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular Science explained: “An increase of 15,000 known cases in just one day pushed the United States past Italy...
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Thursday, March 26, 2020
The Markets The coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to spread across the United States last week. On Friday, March 13, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported there were 1,629 confirmed and presumptive cases and 41 deaths. Last...
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Monday, March 16, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary March 16, 2020 The Markets Last week was one for the history books. Mid-week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic. At the time, there were more than 118,000 cases in 114...
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Monday, March 9, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary March 9, 2020 The Markets Last week, market volatility reached levels that make many investors uncomfortable. On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged higher, delivering its biggest one-day point gain...
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Monday, March 2, 2020
Weekly Market Commentary March 2, 2020 The Markets Take a deep breath. We have experienced downturns before. Think back to 2018. During the last quarter of the year, major stock indices in the Unites States suffered double-digit losses...
Read MoreThe Markets Prepare yourself. There is a good chance markets will be volatile in the coming weeks. Precautions designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus may also slow Chinese economic growth and, by extension, global economic...
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