After months of discussion over interest rates throughout 2025, the “great rate debate” reached a pivot point this week as the Federal Reserve cut the Fed Funds rate by 0.25% (the first such cut in 2025). This takes the Fed’s target rate range to 4% – 4.25%. As a reminder, the Federal Reserve has been […]

We received two new insights into inflation this week with the release of August inflation data. The Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) were of added importance this week after last week’s weak jobs number as these data points may help determine if (and by how much) the Federal Reserve may […]

Labor Day fell on the earliest day it can (September 1) this year and for some reason, I feel as though it cut summer short. Fall is upon us here in Wisconsin and we are now in the final stretch of 2025. Let’s take a look at the data that came out this week and […]

I’ve been writing about the US Federal Reserve (America’s Central Bank) quite a bit as of late. This week, the institution responsible for monetary policy in this country, found itself in the headlines for two major storylines. Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech On Friday August 22nd, Fed Chairman Powell gave a speech at an annual symposium […]

After a few weeks of talking about the July’s jobs report (the often forgotten half of the Fed’s dual mandate), its better half (inflation) was back in focus this week with the release of the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index for July. The releases were somewhat mixed. Consumer prices rose modestly. CPI […]

Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a monthly jobs report. This data, obtained from phone surveys and online data, is a key indicator of how the labor market in the US is performing. This economic release can (and has) garnered meaningful attention in the past and does move markets – but the reaction […]

It may not be a week you have marked on your summer calendar, but this past week was referred to as “data week” given the sheer amount of economic data releases that were published in the past four days. Let’s review the highlight reel as well as the main event – the Fed’s rate decision. […]

I don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter/X but there are a few investment professionals who publish interesting perspectives and thought leadership that I will check in on from time to time. Recently, one of my follows shared this post written by Cliff Sosin (a value manager) in honor of July 4th. During this […]

We – and more importantly the Federal Reserve – got another look at inflation this week as the June reports of consumer inflation (CPI) and wholesale inflation (PPI) were released June’s CPI report was the first to show some (albeit minor) impact from tariffs. The index rose 0.3% month over month and 2.7% year over […]

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 […]