Sticky Inflation The monthly numbers are out, and while the rate of inflation is well off the 2022 peak, price hikes remain uncomfortably high. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the core CPI, which excludes food and...

Job Growth and Economic Growth On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payrolls rose by 227,000 in November, which came in just above the consensus forecast of 214,000 (CNBC). The unemployment rate, measured by a different BLS...

Another Strong Earnings Season Our discussions have included Fed policy, the economy, and the surge in inflation since the pandemic. Why? In large part, they are all a part of the stock market pricing equation. Yet, so are corporate profits, and profits for the...

Does a Republican Sweep Matter for Investors? Tables and graphics such as the one below typically surface every four years. While they are interesting, they do not provide much insight, except for the idea that stocks tend to perform well regardless of who occupies...

Inflation—Not Back to Target, Not Enough to Derail a December Rate Cut The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2% in October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% last month. The CPI is up 2.6%...

A Drama-Free Fed Meeting, Press Conference* and the Election More about the asterisk in a moment, but first, let’s touch on the meat and potatoes of last week’s Federal Reserve meeting. It came as no surprise that the Fed reduced its key rate, the fed funds rate, by...