A Profits Gusher S&P 500 corporate profits are surging in the first quarter, helping to push both the S&P 500 Index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite to new highs this month. Let’s quickly run through the numbers. With 90% of S&P 500 companies having...

April Flowers: A Brighter Jobs Picture Following concerns early in the year, the job market appears to be re-awakening after April’s closely followed labor report. On Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payroll rose by 115,000, more...

Dramatic Recovery The S&P 500 Index shed 9.1% from its late January all-time high to its March 30th low, just shy of an official 10% correction. The index of 500 large publicly traded companies lost a more modest 7.8% of its value when gauged from the start of the...

Retail Sales Surge on Higher Gasoline Prices It is no surprise that retail sales surged last month—but not for the reason investors typically want to see. The U.S. Census Bureau reported a 1.7% increase in March retail sales, driven largely by a 15.5% jump at gasoline...

Inflation Heats Up as Gasoline Prices Surge Led by a 10.9% rise in energy, including a 21% rise in gasoline, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.9% in March, the highest in almost four years. On an annual basis, prices...

Iran War: Oil Prices Jump as Markets Weigh the Risks The fragile peace between the United States and Iran was shattered at the end of February when the US and Israel launched an attack on key Iranian military targets and the nation’s leadership. Thus far, the market’s...