Peek of the Week
The stock market has been dropping, but it's important to know the stock market isn't very accurate when it comes to predicting recessions. And it sure seems like that's the word being thrown around these days: recession. The fact is, bear markets in stocks lead to recessions only about 53 percent of the time. In other words, the stock market has about the same predictive value for recessions as a simple coin toss. Let that sink in!
Read MoreConsumers are feeling more pessimistic than they have in a decade. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey shows that sentiment has been sliding lower all year. Today's Peek of the Week explains how during a time when consumer pessimism feels at an all-time high, consumers could actually be more optimistic than the reports are indicating.
Read MoreThe three major U.S. stock market indices moved higher last week... for the first time in weeks. Prior to the increase, we saw investors reassess their approach and predictions. Today's Peek of the Week explains how strong corporate profits, more attractive share prices and the Fed's potential slowdown of rate hikes have brought us a stock market rally. And we appreciate it!
Read MoreWhile we get a day off to celebrate with backyard barbeques and family, we want the concept of 'giving back' to be considered this year. How have the heroes of our country's history inspired you? Honor our fallen heroes, choose to be inspired and get out in the community to give back this year. If you're short on ideas, today's special blog commentary will provide a few!
Read MoreToday's Peek of the Week explains how tensions seem to rise when investors encounter bear market territory, causing some to wearily stay the course, and others to tap out. How is a bear market defined? It can be when shares prices decline 20 percent or more, or it can also occur when investors are feeling more bearish than bullish. It's safe to say we are in bear territory... read our "Peek" for more details and learn about how the investing decisions that can be made today will ultimately affect your long-term outcomes. You don't want to miss this!
Read MoreWe invite you to read our special Mother's Day 2022 Commentary on our blog today. On Mother's Day, we honor our Mother's love and how it helped mold us into who we are. We hope you have a special Mother's Day this weekend and if you're looking for some meaningful ways to celebrate, today's blog lists a few ideas.
Read MoreToday's Peek of the Week tells us how the Federal Reserve has stepped up their "anti-inflation campaign" in the last week, with the goal to slow inflation. Inflation has been high and is getting further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and by China's virus lockdowns. So far, the American economy has avoided a recession but it has not avoided ongoing inflation.
Read MoreToday's Peek of the Week explains the complexity of inflation and how the numbers may vary, depending on how things get measured. To determine how quickly prices will rise or fall is not easy and our government relies on two indexes to get their answers: the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and the PCE (the Personal Consumption Index). These signify headline inflation and core inflation. Read our "Peek of the Week" to learn how to differentiate between them and learn why the cost of two things we use daily, food and energy, can be excluded from inflation calculations. One thing we know for sure: policymakers have A LOT of data to consider before they make their predictions for the future.
Read MoreBe careful what you ask for…you just might get it! Today's Peek of the Week explains the recent increase in Treasury rates, the drop in demand for home loans and how the cost of carrying credit card debt has increased. It was early March when almost two-thirds of Americans said the Federal Reserve should be more aggressive when it comes to inflation. Well, Americans got what they asked for! When rates rise, borrowing money becomes more expensive, demand gets reduced and prices go even higher.
Read MoreLast week, the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) met and decided to raise the federal funds target rate by a quarter point. Most people were expecting this to happen, and Jerome Powell expects the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2022 in hopes of lowering inflation. Today's Peek of the Week has insight about the yield curve, future rate hikes and implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Investors felt reassured after last week's improved clarity. Major U.S. stock indices rallied and accomplished some gains.
Read MoreTomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day! Saint Patrick once said that "luck is when an opportunity comes along and you've prepared for it." But it should be noted that the man we know as "Saint Patrick" was actually named Maewyn Succat. It might also be a surprise to find out that he wasn't Irish at all! Read our special St. Patrick's Day Commentary to learn about the legend of Saint Patrick and a few fun facts that you could share with family or friends over a green beer!
Read MoreU.S. stocks finished the week lower. This comes as no surprise as our world is currently being forced to quickly adapt to a fast-changing reality. The war in Ukraine has intensified and financial markets are grappling with all this uncertainty. Today's Peek of the Week discusses the recent wartime sanctions and how economists are now expected to revise their predictions for global growth and inflation. Economists anticipate the rising commodity prices (on things like oil and gas) are likely to push inflation higher than it might have been otherwise, causing a slowdown for the global economy.
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