April 5, 2017 We have used some rather broad terms regarding describing the mood of the markets over the past few months. Words such as “confidence” and “uncertainty.” Today we would like to use another word — “anticipation.” One reason for the markets’ confidence in the past several months has been the anticipation of changes […]
Read MoreMarch 28, 2017 No, we are not delving into the world of science fiction. We can’t change what happened. But sometimes it is interesting to wonder what would have happened if an event did not take place. In this case, we are referring to the Federal Reserve Board raising short-term interest rates. As we have […]
Read MoreMarch 21, 2017 Since we spent the past several weeks explaining why the Federal Reserve Board was likely to raise rates last week, we can definitely say that the Fed’s decision was not a surprise — especially since the increase was limited to .25%, which was also expected. A disappointing jobs report could have caused […]
Read MoreMarch 14, 2017 The data is in. The jobs report has been released and the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee is meeting as we release this publication. Keep in mind that the employment numbers are a major factor in affecting the Fed’s decision — but they are not the only factor. The stock market […]
Read MoreMarch 7, 2017 In the past few weeks we have spoken a lot about confidence. Certainly, confidence has been the major influence behind the recent stock rally. It has also influenced the recent movements in rates and oil prices. If this confidence spills over to a hiring spree, then the chances of another rate increase […]
Read MoreFebruary 28, 2017 It has been a whirlwind start to the year with record stock prices and a new administration coming together. And the year could get a bit more interesting with an employment report due out at the end of next week. Of course, the jobs data is always important, but this report could […]
Read MoreFebruary 21, 2017 During the past few months we have had a very solid rally in the stock market, which has been accompanied by higher interest rates. Certainly, the economic results that have been released have not changed that much during that period, and thus we can conclude that the changes in the markets are […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2017 As we indicated previously, we are not about to speculate as to what might happen as a result of the policies of the new Administration. There is still a tremendous road to be laid. However, we can say that the President has moved quickly to issue a barrage of Executive Orders during […]
Read MoreFebruary 7, 2017 Certainly, this past week was one to get a good assessment of where the economy stands coming into the new year and a new Presidency. In the past week or so, we have had reports on overall economic growth for 2016; personal income and spending for December; the jobs report for January; […]
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