Economic Outlook Remains Murky The Fed tightened until something broke: Silicon Valley Bank. Now the Fed has to grapple with maintaining financial stability (and not let anything else break) as it tries to tame inflation. The outlook for the U.S. economy has become murky—again. First, Federal Reserve...
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Is Schwab Okay? The recent banking crisis has hammered financial stocks, but few more than Schwab, which is down 35% in three weeks. In the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) failure, Charles Schwab stock has suffered the fastest decline since 1987. While few clients of...
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Despite high inflation and rising interest rates, the U.S. labor market remains strong. If inflation continues to ease, an economic soft landing may actually be possible. The U.S. economy produced jobs at a slower but still comfortable rate at the end of 2022, as higher interest...
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It appears the Federal Reserve is determined to crash the economy in order to stamp out inflation. They will likely succeed, but at what cost? In the face of an already-slowing economy, the Fed pushed its Fed Funds rate higher by another 0.75% on September 22nd...
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This is an especially tricky time for the markets. The conditions that led to the tremendous run up in asset prices (low interest rates and inflation, combined with strong growth) have now flipped. Inflation is running hot, and the Fed is scrambling to raise rates...
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Inflation and rising interest rates are putting downward pressure on stocks and bonds. It is too early to tell if this is the start of a larger inflation and interest rate cycle, or just a correction from the pandemic-induced extremes. Either way, stock prices will...
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Recent stock market volatility may be with us for a while as inflation and geopolitical events continue to capture headlines. Positioning portfolios to weather the inevitable storms is the key to success. Investing in the stock market can lead to losses, or so the widely-used disclaimer...
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Global stock markets have continued their rise despite a recent pullback. The S&P 500 was up over 6% in first quarter, and the U.S. small company Russell 2000 index was up over 12%. Stocks were arguably ripe for a pullback, given buoyant investor sentiment. One indicator—the...
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Recently, there has been conversation and controversy regarding the economic value of aligning your investments with your values. It is no secret that the public securities markets, like other capitalistic industries, seeks to interest new clients with promotional material that distinguishes it from consumer’s other...
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The stock market finished 2020 in a strong uptrend, and this trend has continued into the early trading days of 2021. It is said that the market climbs a wall of worry, but with a surging pandemic, dramatic economic dislocation, and violent political unrest, this...
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