The 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 European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday, and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Friday. Here’s what happened: The… Read more »
Author: Christina Michalczak
Market Commentary July 24, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets Better 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 believed the United States stock market would move lower in 2023, and most indicated the drop would happen in the latter half of… Read more »
Market Commentary July 17, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets Disinflation 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 that: Inflation fell to a two year low in June. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that prices… Read more »
Market Commentary July 10, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets Markets 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 next meeting or leave the rate unchanged, reported Megan Leonhardt of Barron’s. The Fed has been aggressively… Read more »
Market Commentary July 3, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Uncategorized.
The Markets Showing 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 intelligence and expectations that the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle might be near an end. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index… Read more »
Market Commentary June 26, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets The 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 two months of its introduction, more than 100 million people had engaged with the technology, reported David Curry of… Read more »
Market Commentary June 20, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Uncategorized.
The Markets Rebalancing 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 volatility, and appetite for risk, among others. Periodically rebalancing a portfolio’s allocation is a critical step, too, because it keeps portfolios from… Read more »
Market Commentary June 12, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Uncategorized.
The Markets Leaping 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, United States-China tensions, slower earnings growth, the high cost of residential real estate, low demand for commercial… Read more »
Market Commentary June 5, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets As 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. Gomer Pyle, the much-loved main character, was known for catchphrases such as shazam, golly, and surprise, surprise, surprise.… Read more »
Market Commentary May 31, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Uncategorized.
The Markets It’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 defines the experience as wild, confusing, engrossing and entertaining. Some aspects of that description apply to recent financial market activity. Last week,… Read more »