The Wealth Blog
Economic Growth Generates Job Growth – January 10, 2020
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payrolls in January increased by a strong 225,000, while the unemployment rate rose to 3.6% from…
An Unexpected Start to 2020 – January 8, 2020
Since October 8, 2019, the S&P 500 Index2 is up nearly 13% through its latest high on January 2 (St. Louis Federal Reserve). That’s an…
A Banner Year, A Banner Decade – January 6, 2020
The decade began under a dark cloud. The U.S. was climbing out of the Great Recession, and many wondered whether the economy might flounder for…
2020 and Interest Rates – January 2, 2020
A year ago, the fed funds rate stood at 2.25-2.50%, and the Fed’s own projections suggested two 0.25 percentage-point rate hikes during 2019. Instead, the…
About That Long-Term Upward Stock Market Bias – December 30, 2019
We know stocks don’t move up in a straight line. Sometimes, it seems as if they take the stairs up and the elevator down. With…
Investor Response to Impeachment: Whatever – December 23, 2019
On Wednesday evening, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrials1, the NASDAQ Composite2, and the S&P 500…
One Year Later – December 18, 2019
A year ago, stocks were in the middle of a serious correction, with the S&P 500 Index2 losing nearly 20% over three months (St. Louis…
The Fed, the Consumer, and Trump – December 11, 2019
The Fed has lowered its key rate three times since July to a range of 1.50-1.75%. On Wednesday, it’s widely expected the Fed will hold…
When Good News Is Good News – December 9, 2019
The U.S. economy generated a surprisingly strong 266,000 new jobs in November. The jobless rate fell from 3.6% to 3.5%, tying a 50-year low per…
Shake and Bake – December 4, 2019
As we entered the fall, positive headlines on trade reduced volatility, and stocks moved to new highs. In November alone, the S&P 500 Index2 closed…
Office Closure – November 27, 2019
Please be advised that our office will be closed Thursday and Friday this week for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We will resume our regular hours…
Softer but No Recession – November 25, 2019
Leading economic indicators are suggesting economic growth will soften through the end of the year, but we’re not seeing signals that a recession is looming….