Weekly Commentary

It should be a doozy of a week.  Financial markets are continuing to digest the extremely strong US nonfarm employment numbers from Friday while contemplating the release of a full load of inflation data.  Strong economic growth going into the first

Happy New Year. More so than most times, this "New" seems very new.  Over the last 25 years, there have been only five two-year periods in which the US Congress and the White House have been controlled by the same political party; the current

Economic data descends upon us this week, like big, fat, fluffy snowflakes. Each piece of data is different but collectively details the landscape, possibly even making for a snowball fight.  The FOMC meeting, which will culminate in the last

With few immediate concerns about the pace of economic growth —last week’s robust nonfarm payroll growth of 227,000 and an upbeat report from the National Retail Federation quite effectively set aside the slowdown worries — the focus now returns to

We enter this week into that slightly unreal month where the year seems mostly done, but the next year hasn’t started — an uncomfortable limbo papered over with parties and travel and shopping and general busyness. Apparently, enough of the travel

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving. This is a time to reflect upon all the opportunities and challenges that have come our way and to be thankful for our ability to work diligently on the path forward. It is not always easy because, among other things,

A dearth of important economic news combined with the growing gravitational pull of Thanksgiving and end-of-year holiday planning — Why isn’t Thanksgiving this week? Is it still 2024?— will continue to drive the economic debate into the fantasy-land

It is admittedly difficult currently to find economic analysis that is not tinged with unwarranted political commentary. As Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated in his press conference last week (in paraphrase), there are no models to run

The interest rate decision coming up this Thursday by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve is front-and-center, especially following a number of mixed signals in the recent economic data. October's nonfarm payrolls growth

After two marginally interesting weeks of US economic data, patient observers will now be rewarded with almost more than can be readily absorbed. Multiple measures of growth, most of which are expected to describe an expanding, possibly accelerating,