FOMC Commentary – December 18, 2024
By Jeanette Garretty, Chief Economist Confirming recent expectations in financial markets, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced a further 25bps cut in the Fed Funds rate while changing projections for rate cuts in 2025. The Fed Funds target range is now 4.25%-4.5%. In the accompanying Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the members of the FOMC […]
Dynasty 529 Plans Can Build Generational Wealth
November 12, 2024 Leveraging these college-savings plans for tax-free growth combats rising education costs but families must keep up with IRS developments. As published in Rethinking65 By Mallon FitzPatrick A 529 plan is arguably one of the most powerful vehicles for funding higher education in the United States. These plans come in two varieties: prepaid […]
FOMC Commentary – November 7, 2024
By Jeanette Garretty, Chief Economist Today, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve announced a 25 bps Fed Funds rate cut, resetting the target Fed Funds rate to 4.5-4.75%. This represents a full 75 bps reduction in short term rates since the Fed began to move monetary policy to a more “neutral” […]
Recent Thoughts on the Fed Rate Cut
September 30, 2024 Chief Investment Officer Stuart Katz and Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty discuss their thoughts on the most recent Fed rate cut. Disclosures Investment advisory services offered through Robertson Stephens Wealth Management, LLC (“Robertson Stephens”), an SEC-registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does not constitute […]
FOMC Commentary – September 18, 2024
By Jeanette Garretty, Chief Economist The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced a cut in the Federal Funds target rate by 50 bps to a target range of 4.75%-5.0%. At the same time, the FOMC announcement emphasized the continuing strength of the US economy, as well as the fact that while inflation has cooled considerably, […]
FOMC Commentary – July 31, 2024
By Chief Economist, Jeanette Garretty The statement released at the end of the FOMC meeting today was predictable and, quite frankly, a bit boring. The Fed Funds target rate (aka, “the policy target”) was left unchanged at 5.25-5.5%, and the usual “data-driven” waiting-and-seeing language was included. The one notable aspect of the statement was the clear […]
Quarterly Insights – July 2024: More New Highs for the S&P 500 in Q2
By John Lau July 1, 2024 – The S&P 500 experienced its first real dose of volatility early in the second quarter, but expectations for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, solid economic growth and continued strong financial performance from AI-related tech companies ultimately pushed the S&P 500 to new all-time highs and the […]
2024 Mid Year Investment and Wealth Planning Outlook Webinar
Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty hosted Chief Investment Officer Stuart Katz and Head of Wealth Planning Mallon FitzPatrick as they discussed the first half of 2024 and their outlook for the remainder of 2024.
FOMC Commentary – June 12, 2024
By Chief Economist, Jeanette Garretty June 12, 2024 Chairman Powell has a problem. He won’t forecast. He is prepared to act on interest rates more quickly “if the labor markets deteriorate unexpectedly” while at the same time acknowledging that if he waits to see that, it’s likely to be too late (monetary policy has an […]
Europe Has a Growth Problem. Should You Care?
By Jeanette Garretty and Avi Deutsch May 17, 2024 – In 2007, on the eve of the global financial crises, the economies of the European Union and the US were almost identical in size. Fifteen years later, in 2022, the US economy was 1.5 larger than the EU’s.[1] The difference in GDP per capita is […]
3 Questions with Robertson Stephens featuring Head of Wealth Planning, Mallon FitzPatrick
May 9, 2024 – Chief Marketing Officer Louis Calabrese hosts Mallon FitzPatrick to talk about wealth transfer planning and strategies on how to approach it. Disclosures Investment advisory services offered through Robertson Stephens Wealth Management, LLC (“Robertson Stephens”), an SEC-registered investment advisor. Registration does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does […]
3 Questions with Robertson Stephens feat. Jeanette Garretty
May 7, 2024 – CMO, Louis Calabrese, hosts Chief Economist Jeanette Garretty to discuss the most recent FOMC meeting and her outlook on the U.S. economy.