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 »
Category: Weekly Market Commentary
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 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 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 »
Weekly Market Commentary May 22, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The 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, suddenly, almost everyone rushes to follow suit. A similar occurrence may be happening in the United… Read more »
Weekly Market Commentary May 15, 2023
Posted by Christina Michalczak & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets Brace 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 Michigan survey were: Less concerned about current economic conditions (down 5.4 percent, month-to-month), and More concerned about future economic conditions (down 11.7 percent,… Read more »
Weekly Market Commentary May 8, 2023
Posted by Marybeth Rose & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets The labor market just keeps growing…and growing… Last week, the April employment report for the United States arrived. It showed that unemployment dropped to the lowest level in more than 50 years – 3.4 percent. Other highlights included: The creation of 253,000 jobs in April. That was well above consensus estimates, according to… Read more »
Weekly Market Commentary May 1, 2023
Posted by Marybeth Rose & filed under Weekly Market Commentary.
The Markets Get 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 produced in the U.S. economy – grew by 5.1 percent over the first quarter. You may have… Read more »