Market Week: July 24, 2023

The week in review Retail sales was up 0.2% m/m Housing starts fell to 1,434k Industrial production was down 0.5% m/m The week ahead FOMC meeting Svcs. and mfg. PMIs Real GDP Consumer confidence & sentiment Thought of the week In recent weeks, markets absorbed a...

Can This Stock Market Rally Continue?

Can the Bull Market Continue? To most people’s surprise, stock markets around the world are up. Market timing is rarely a winning strategy. It’s one of the reasons we encourage investors to develop their own personal investment strategies and stick to them. Our...

Market Week: July 17, 2023

June’s CPI report showed gathering disinflation with headline CPI rising 0.2% m/m and 3.1% y/y on a seasonally adjusted basis, well below peak inflation of 8.9% y/y a year ago. This trend is not unique to the U.S.: the OECD reported softening inflation in most major economies to 6.5% y/y in May, the lowest level for global inflation since December 2021.

Labor Markets May Be Coming Off Their Highs

The U.S. economy has proven to be more resilient in the first half of 2023 than many expected, as strength in the labor market has helped support consumption. But how much momentum does that labor market have? This week’s chart looks to quantify labor market momentum...

Stock Markets Higher in First Half of 2023

We are now in the second half of 2023. In the first half of 2023, stock markets did well. Both in the US and around the world. The S&P 500 is up 16.89% thru 6-30-2023. Other stock indexes also have done well. Developed market (DM) and emerging market (EM)...