FOMC Commentary – April 29, 2026
If a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) interest rate statement can be judged to be terse, it would be the one issued today (April 29) at the conclusion of meetings that were expected to be both highly interesting and boringly uneventful.
Five Charts for the Week That Was: April 24, 2026
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty provides 5 economic charts covering topics including consumer sentiment, gas prices, retail sales, and real wage growth.
Market Volatility: The Best Days and Worst Days Travel Together
The stock market’s best and worst days tend to arrive together, and the early months of 2026 offered a timely reminder. The S&P 500 fell nearly -10% from its late-January high through the end of March as the U.S.-Iran conflict sent oil prices surging more than +60%. Headlines about the Strait of Hormuz closure, rising […]
Five Charts for the Week That Was: April 6, 2026
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty provides 5 economic charts covering topics including payroll numbers, healthcare jobs, unemployment rates, mortgage rates, and credit card delinquency rates.
Beyond the Noise Podcast – Episode 1
Listen to Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty and Chief Investment Officer Stuart Katz as they analyze the economy and markets amidst current geopolitical tensions.
FOMC Commentary – March 18, 2026
The culmination of the March meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) was a decision to leave the target range for the Fed Funds rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75%.
Five Charts for the Week That Was: March 6, 2026
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty provides 5 economic charts covering topics including oil, natural gas, and payrolls.
4 Strategies for Parents to Support Their Class of 2026 Graduate in a Tough Job Market
As published on Kiplinger For parents of the Class of 2026, current headlines can feel challenging. After years of tuition payments and academic rigor, the prospect of a “weak” entry-level hiring market — the softest since the pandemic — raises a fundamental question: Is the return on investment for a college degree diminishing? Remember that market cycles […]
Oil and LNG Natural Gas Markets: Fundamentals, Geopolitics and What Investors Should Watch
Despite ongoing headlines about Middle East tensions and potential disruptions, the global oil market enters 2026 with a fundamental backdrop of supply exceeding demand. Crude inventories remain adequate, and analysts still see surplus capacity relative to underlying consumption. In other words, there is no structural shortage of oil barrels — the market is fundamentally oversupplied. Prior to this recent Middle East conflict, […]
Five Charts for the Week That Was: February 20, 2026
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty provides 5 economic charts covering topics including GDP, Personal Income, Federal Budget, and Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities.
Five Charts for the Week That Was: February 6, 2026
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty provides 5 economic charts covering topics including China, trade, manufacturing, and employment.
Fumbles or Fortunes? The S&P After the Super Bowl
Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Date Location Opponent Score Opponent Score Result S&P 500 CY Performance* XL Feb. 5, 2006 Ford Field (Detroit) Pittsburgh 10 21 Loss 15.8% XLVIII Feb. 2, 2014 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) Denver 43 8 Won 13.7% XLIX Feb. 1, 2015 University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.) New England 24 28 […]