Can Tariffs Lower Interest Rates?
March 18, 2025 Thus far, we have just heard about the fact that the implementation of tariffs will increase prices. Another term for higher prices is the dreaded word inflation. And we all know what increased inflation brings to the table – higher interest rates. Gulp. The Federal Reserve is much less likely to lower […]
Read MoreWill Government Layoffs Affect the Job Market?
March 11, 2025 The Administration has put their plans in place to eliminate tens of thousands of Federal employees. As the February jobs report was just released last week, we must start to ponder if these layoffs will affect the overall jobs market. If the private sector is strong enough, those unemployed could be absorbed […]
Read MoreGetting Used to Higher Rates
February 18, 2025 There is no doubt about the fact that higher interest rates are putting a cap on potential growth in the real estate market. Together with high housing prices, affordability has certainly been a major factor within the sector for a few years now. While you can understand market analysts and participants in […]
Read MoreA Big Ho-Hum?
February 11, 2025 By all rights, we should have seen extreme market volatility during the past several weeks. After all, we have a new President implementing many new initiatives – from back to the office for federal employees to a constant threat of tariffs toward various countries. Yet, the stock and bond markets have been […]
Read MoreBack to the Inflation Picture
November 19, 2024 The election is over. The Federal Reserve has met and made their decision regarding short-term interest rates. The next question is – where do we go from here? While the Fed has lowered their rates, mortgage rates actually increased leading up to the election and the meeting of the Fed. And this […]
Read MoreQuiet Period?
October 22, 2024 Before every meeting of the Federal Reserve there is a blackout period in which the members have to refrain from talking to the public and the media regarding the state of the economy and their policies. This particular blackout period, which starts in a few days, takes on special importance because it […]
Read MoreThe Inflation Picture
October 15, 2024 Last week we had the latest inflation readings. The Consumer Price Index was reported to be up 0.2% monthly and 2.4% annually in September. The core readings excluding food and energy were higher. The Producer Price Index was reported unchanged for the month and up 1.8% annually, but again higher at the […]
Read MoreWe Want More!
October 8, 2024 The Federal Reserve has lowered their Federal Funds Rate. As we have indicated, the move was expected – and the bond markets had strongly anticipated this move. But the Fed lowered their base rate by 0.5%, yet mortgage rates have moved down approximately 1.25% from their peak earlier this year. Why is […]
Read MoreA Busy Two Weeks
August 6, 2024 We have a very busy few weeks of economic news. While the stock market was reaching record highs in July, the month closed with some important news. As July came to a close, the initial reading of economic growth for the second quarter was released. The 2.8% growth rate was seen as […]
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