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WEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | January 23, 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’...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | January 9, 2023
The MarketsIt’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. (It was 3.7...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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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WEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | December 19, 2022
The MarketsBad 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 that...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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 sixty-six...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | November 7, 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, reported Claire Ballentine of Bloomberg. The Fed...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | October 17, 2022
The MarketsWe’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 Index...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | October 10, 2022
The MarketsBah 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 keep crude...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | October 3, 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | September 5, 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....
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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 big...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | August 1, 2022
The MarketsInvestors thought they heard a dovish note from the Federal Reserve and markets rallied.Last week, we learned from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that economic growth in the United States slowed for the second...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | July 11, 2022
The MarketsRising 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 calms down...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | July 4, 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | June 20, 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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....
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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 6.6...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | May 23, 2022
The MarketsOn the fear and greed cycle.One of the most challenging times for investors is a market downturn. Whether markets are experiencing a correction or a bear market, it’s really disturbing to watch the value of your...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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...
Read MoreWEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY | 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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