According to the retail sales report from last week, spending was flat, but when you exclude sales for auto and gas, spending increased by 0.7% from June to July. The retail report measures consumer spending/demand for goods. Gasoline prices have steadily declined over the last 9 weeks which has enabled
The U.S. Dollar has been on a tear. There are a few reasons why demand for the “greenback” has been so hot, but the biggest reason is when global markets go crazy, investors look for a safe haven. The global uncertainty in Ukraine has made the U.S. Dollar attractive for
The last two years have put the Federal Reserve in the limelight. It is of little surprise after a multi-decade high unemployment level in the second quarter of 2020, followed by concerns of weak spending – which was abated with direct cash transfers, and that turned into a growing concern
Let's talk earnings. Are companies losing money? Are they overvalued? Some believe the market is still relatively strong. While others think consumers are feeling the pressure. Let's have a discussion, but also focus on the facts. That way you don’t have to rely on headlines and come to a conclusion
Home shopping has been particularly hard over the last couple of years. U.S. home prices rose by 42% during the pandemic housing boom, but it’s already beginning to slow down. In the U.S., housing inventory is slowly rising, property prices are falling, and sellers are lowering their asking prices. The
Inflation, Inflation, Inflation. I can’t think of a more popular topic on everyone’s minds. And with last week’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, it was shocking reminder of how much prices have risen. For those that didn’t see the CPI report, it showed that prices for Americans rose over 9%,
This week marks the start of Q2 earnings season with major banks like JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Wells Fargo (WFC) kicking things off for the S&P 500 index heavyweights. The second quarter will shine a light on how tough the macro environment has been on companies' bottom
How do you handle uncomfortable situations? Can you bend or do you break? Are you… aware? Volatility is the expression of uncertainty. Price and volatility are a proxy for uncertainty in outcome and trying to price uncertainty results in volatility.1 That is why price fluctuates. You think 'x', I think 'y',
As the year nears its halfway point, companies will start disclosing their Q2 earnings. You may remember that investors primarily paid attention to projected future earnings rather than actual earnings last quarter, and I predict that this will continue this quarter. Therefore, even though company earnings exceeded expectations, projections must
Before Friday’s inflation data release, headlines reported that investors were looking to the September Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. This is because by September the central bank would have several months of economic data for 2022. Fed officials have been largely united on the need for half-point increases at
