Strong Jobs Report, with a Caveat The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payrolls in May rose 272,000, easily beating expectations of 190,000 per the Wall Street Journal. Over the past three years, nonfarm payrolls have usually topped…
Housing Prices Hit New Record The price of a home hit a new record, according to the latest data on housing prices. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index, which measures monthly housing prices in 20 major metropolitan areas,…
Drifting Higher Stocks have been drifting higher for several weeks as investors search for a catalyst that could drive shares in either direction. Interest rates can influence market direction, but there hasn't been much news recently on the rate front.…
How Do Investors Spell Relief? Investors celebrated an ‘in line with expectations’ CPI that suggested the rate of inflation isn’t accelerating. It’s a small win, but it was enough to send the three major market indexes, the Dow, the Nasdaq,…
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,…
