Are We There Yet?
By Avi Deutsch July 29, 2022 – It was only the summer of 2020, two years ago, that going to the supermarket felt like a risky undertaking and flying was reserved for emergencies. The economy shrank by 5% in Q1, and then by 31% in Q2, before bouncing back with 34% growth in Q3. But […]
Big Stick Monetary Policy
By Avi Deustch June 30, 2022 – As the second quarter of 2022 draws to a close, the state of the U.S. economy is, in a word, perplexing. Real concerns around inflation and the Fed’s policy are buffered by low unemployment and a vibrant summer travel season. In the absence of new hard economic data, […]
Tapping the Breaks
By David Matias June 28, 2022 – It was a brutal week in the markets — all of the markets. While a decline in stocks has been percolating for months, it is painful to experience a decline across all asset classes. As with all bull markets, it isn’t a debate about whether it will end, […]
Market Note: Bear
By Avi Deustch May 20, 2022 – If you’re having a hard time following what’s going on in the stock market, you’re not alone. This week it was poor financial results reported by Walmart, Target, and other retailers, that sent the stock market into 4-5% daily gyrations, leaving investors nauseated and on-edge and just barely […]
Market Note: Missles, Dollars and Oil
By Avi Deustch March 19, 2022 – The events of this past month mark a unique confluence of geo-political and macro-economic events that seemed all but impossible just months ago. To summarize a few: While the long-term effects of these events will take years to digest, its apparent that we are living in a fast-changing […]
The Return of Eastern Superpower(s)
By Avi Deutsch February 25, 2022 – The events of the past few days mark the culmination of years of more subtle challenges to a strained world order. Thirty-two years after the end of the cold war Russia has invaded Ukraine. This was done in blatant defiance of the Western powers and in a clear […]
Inflation, Central Bank Independence, and a New Monetary Era
By Avi Deutsch July 1, 2020 – Since the beginning of the year, the Federal Reserve has poured over $2.9 trillion worth of freshly minted dollars (mostly using the 0’s and 1’s of a computer) into the U.S. economy. Inevitably, as soon as the Fed fires up the printing press, fear of inflation, loosely defined […]
Killing the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs – J&J
By David Matias August 29, 2019 – Until recently, Johnson & Johnson had one of the best brands in the world. As the maker of Tylenol, Johnson’s Baby Powder, and Band-Aid, it commanded a feeling of safety in a world fraught with product horrors. The value of a solid brand such as J&J or Coca-Cola […]
Populism and Economics Don’t Mix
By David Matias August 5, 2019 – As we’ve stated in recent months, the economies here and abroad are in a fragile state. Growth has not accelerated in the U.S. despite massive tax cuts, people are leaving the labor force in droves, and our administration insists on governing via tweets drafted on an ill-informed, infantile […]
Everything You Need to Know about the Yield Curve
By Avi Deutsch December 23, 2018 – The yield curve made headlines last week with the inversion of the 2-year and 5-year government bonds followed by murmurs of a coming recession. With U.S. markets flashing red and the major indexes entering bear market prices, here is everything you need to know about the yield curve […]
Walmart and the Tax Act
By David Matias January 23, 2018 – When I see something in the news that obfuscates the full set of facts to skew an argument, it gets me wound up. The recent news from Walmart around the benefits of the Tax Act was just one of those moments. To paraphrase the event, Walmart gave away a one-time […]