An Annual Ritual at the Gas Pump You're right if you have this nagging feeling that gas prices rise in the spring. As the graphic illustrates, on average prices rise through Memorial Day, plateau over the summer, and slip in…
Rate Cuts Still on the Table, Timing Less Certain We often discuss the Federal Reserve and interest rates because both greatly impact investors. For starters, changes in interest rates have a significant impact on stock prices and income earned on…
The Economy Slows, Inflation Remains a Problem Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest measure of goods and services. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that GDP slowed from Q4’s annual pace of 3.4% to 1.6% in Q1.…
Just Do It That ubiquitous phrase from one of America’s most extensive athletic footwear and apparel makers seems to have been adopted by most American shoppers. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last week that retail sales jumped 0.7% in March,…
The Road to Lower Inflation Takes a Detour The rate of inflation is accelerating. That’s not how we hoped to start this week’s Insights. Take a moment and review Figure 1. The 4-month moving average has broken out of its…
No Matter How You Slice It and Dice it… The latest employment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) point to a robust job market. On Friday, the U.S. BLS reported that nonfarm payrolls rose 303,000 in March,…
Inflation Makes a Play, Investors Ignore There was a brief pause as the new year began, but for all practical purposes, markets put on quite a show in the first quarter of 2024, with the Dow, the Nasdaq Composite, and…
