Hope you’re all enjoying the heart of summer. It’s easy (and justified) to pay a bit less attention to markets during this time of year when fun and family take center stage. If you’ve tuned things out a bit, I have good news for you. Markets have been taking care of business! Let’s take a […]

Don’t look now but as of next Tuesday, we will have reached the halfway point of 2025. It has certainly been an eventful year! If you’ve been stayed invested throughout this entire period and resisted the temptation to “abandon mission” in March/April, congratulations! Once again, your commitment and ability to resist action based on worst […]

We wrote last week about the increased importance the labor component of the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate. This week, the second part of the mandate (inflation) got its turn in the spotlight yet again. First up – Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was released for May and it showed favorable results. The CPI rose 2.4% […]

Markets tend to focus on one “hot topic” per week – and this week, jobs took center stage. As you know by now, the Federal Reserve Bank in the US has a dual mandate – meaning it has to balance two priorities as it considers interest rate levels and monetary policy. That dual mandate includes […]

If you’re feeling a bit better about your portfolio and investing outlook than you were in April, you are not alone. In early 2025, there was a high level concern about weakness in “soft” data (ie: consumer and investor sentiment surveys). While this data is not as conclusive as “hard” data (actual measurable statistics and […]

Another investing week is behind us and a long weekend is in front of us! There was no shortage of market-moving news this week as Moody’s downgraded the US, interest rates marched steadily higher, and the budget/tax bill was passed in the House and moved on to the Senate. However, as we enter the long […]

I’m not sure there has been a time in my investing career where I have felt as compelled to use roller coaster imagery as the past six weeks! Somehow, it seems the most accurate depiction of what investors have been experiencing as of late. Fortunately, for the last several weeks – and most notably the […]

As the old adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” For investors, it sure felt like it was storming/raining most of the month of April – so let’s hope some sunnier/happier times lie ahead for us in May and beyond Let’s take a look at a few key events from the stormy month of April […]

If you are a bit (or a lot) confused by the daily news flow and the corresponding market movements, rest assure – you are not alone. There is really a seemingly endless stream of conflicting information coming at us each day (if not each hour). There are statements made, statements retracted, statements made by someone […]

As the famous quote by Vladimir Lenin says, “there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” This has sure been one of those weeks and has reminded me of being on a less than enjoyable roller coaster ride. If you haven’t been keeping up with the news flow and market […]