Investors seeking clarity on the future path of inflation and interest rates struggled to find it in March as key economic indictors sent mixed signals. The month kicked off with a strong February jobs report, with the Labor Department reporting that nonfarm payrolls increased by 275,000 for the month (against expectations of 198,000). While the February numbers suggested the economy continues to run hot, downward revisions to the December and January reports reduced the initial estimates for those months by 167,000 jobs and the unemployment rate rose from 3.7% to 3.9% in February.
January 12, 2024 - Today’s Producer Price Index report supports the notion that inflation has essentially been defeated. PPI fell to negative headline MoM, 0% core MoM, 1.8% YoY core change, and 1.0% YoY headline change.
Bonds had a great month in November. Indications that the Fed will pause again were extrapolated into easing expectations as soon as next quarter. Lower yields help the relative valuation of equities, although Factset earnings forecasts are no longer trending upwards.
When looking at the markets on the day of the October CPI release (Nov. 14) vs. later in the week (Nov. 16), you’ll notice there’s been a big shift in thinking, with ZERO additional rate hikes priced in from the Federal Reserve, signaling their fight against inflation may be coming to an end. A June rate cut has actually been priced in, and there are signs that it’s inching even earlier.
Leland Abrams, who serves as Chief Investment Officer for the investment manager Wynkoop LLC and a portfolio manager of a fixed income fund at Catalyst, provides his...
Today's much anticipated release of economic data including the Employment Cost Index (ECI) and the Fed's preferred inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) all painted the picture of a goldilocks scenario. Inflation is abating, wages and labor market conditions are cooling, while the economy continues to grow, and spending remains resilient.
In this portfolio manager profile, you’ll learn how Portfolio Manager Eric Meyer’s career led him to find interesting investing opportunities that resulted in the...
This week marks the beginning of a significant earnings season, with reports expected from several major companies including NFLX, ASML, JNJ, BA, MS, UNH, TSM, and GS.
While the first quarter's CPI prints this year were above expectations, one needs to 'look under the hood' to have a better view on inflation (where it was and where it is going).
Last week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their latest ten-year budget projection. Significant deterioration in our fiscal outlook is visible with every release.
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