December 20, 2016. The Federal Reserve Board has spoken. The increase of .25% in short-term interest rates surprised absolutely nobody. However, the markets did not like the statement accompanying the increase which alluded to as much as three rate hikes in 2017. Of course, last year they talked about the same thing and we had […]
Read MoreDecember 13, 2016. The speculation will end. Almost. While most everybody is expecting an increase in short-term rates by the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee, there are two questions that remain. First, by how much will the Fed raise rates? If you have asked this question just a month ago, the prevalent answer would […]
Read MoreNovember 29, 2016 The biggest news with regard to the markets since the election has been the spike in long-term interest rates. The stock market has been rising as well, but there seems to have been a greater reaction on the bond market side. First, before anyone pins these trends to the surprise results of […]
Read MoreOctober 25, 2016 You can’t read or watch the news and not view a story about some type of addiction in America — whether it is common substances such as caffeine, legal prescription drugs such as pain killers, or illicit drugs such as heroin. But today, we ask a question about addictions and our economy. […]
Read MoreOctober 18, 2016 There is now less than 30 days before the Presidential election. And as we predicted some time ago, the rhetoric has ratcheted up significantly. So much so, that many analysts are indicating that this is the most acrimonious race in history. No one should be surprised at all regarding these conclusions. And […]
Read MoreAfter much speculation on both sides, the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee met last week and made their decision regarding interest rates. The markets experienced significant volatility leading up to the meeting as stocks pulled back, interest rates rose and oil prices fell. With the volatility, none of these moves came in a straight line, especially with regard to […]
Read MoreThe initial reaction with regard to the slightly disappointing August jobs numbers, was speculation that a rate hike was less likely to result from the meeting of the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee next week. Keep in mind that many are speculating that the Fed will be reticent to take any actions at the following meeting, which takes […]
Read MoreThe Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Janet Yellen, recently caused quite a debate in the markets with a recent speech indicating that she believed the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months. The debate not only centered around whether a rate increase was justified based upon […]
Read MoreThis month economists have focused on international concerns and their effect on our economy. Most importantly; the default crisis in Greece, China’s stock market fall back, and nuclear discussions with Iran. The federal reserve must keep a close eye on what is going on around the world before they make a decision to increase interest […]
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