Peek of the Week
It's Tuesday after Labor Day and we're bringing you a brand new Peek of the Week blog post! Last week, U.S. stock indices finished lower after the United States employment report showed solid job growth, suggesting that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise rates. Americans are facing inflation and the Fed is committed to rein it in...
Read MoreLabor Day is an annual celebration to recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers. The first Labor Day was celebrated in September of 1882 in New York City and in 1894 President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a national holiday. We hope this Labor Day you take some time honor yourself and the contributions that you’ve made to make this world a better place for your company, your family and yourself.
Read MoreIt may not be what investors want to hear but there is indeed a slowdown happening in our economy. We're facing labor market challenges on top of inflation running over 2 percent. Today's Peek of the Week explains how the historically high growth rates of 2021 (that reflected the economy reopening after the pandemic) have shifted to the place where we're at now. Currently, we have high inflation to focus on.
Read MoreMany investors who sold shares during the first half of the year are buying again. The current debate for investors and investment professional happens to be, "is the stock market in a bear market rally or a new bull market?" Today's Peek of the Week discusses whether or not it's possible to truly distinguish bull markets from bear markets. As the stock market rally paused, fuel was added to this debate.
Read MoreToday's Peek of the Week attempts to answer this question. With everything going on, investors have embraced the idea that the Federal Reserve can be persuaded to slow the pace of rates hikes. Investors saw stocks move higher last week, but the bond market was less optimistic after more Consumer Price Index (CPI) data was released. So what's the chance of a recession happening? According to Vince Golle and Kyungjin Yoo of Bloomberg, the chance of a recession within the next year is just below 50-50.
Read MoreToday's Peek of the Week has the latest insight into how the stock markets are cooling down now that the U.S. economy isn't burning as hot as it once was. With that being said, and even after the last two quarters of slowed growth, the United States economy continues to surprise us. Unemployment has fallen quite low, the labor market is on fire, and the main driver for this shift has been women returning to the workplace. With all this "job talk" brings more "recession talk" and today's PEEK of the WEEK shares some second quarter business activity data to follow up on the whole recession idea.
Read MoreHello, August! As we begin a new week and a new month, it seems like each day brings the question, "is it a recession, or isn't it?!" Our Peek of the Week reexamines last week's analysis about economic growth in the United States and how it's slowed for two consecutive quarters. We discuss how the GDP (gross domestic product) is measured and how it's contributing to our current inflation and our potential recession.
Read MoreA lot of people are worried that a recession is in our future. Some believe it may already be here. Our Peek of the Week pumps the brakes on the whole "recession" idea to evaluate the facts, details and future estimations. Unemployment is low, inflation is high, and both tend to occur in an economy going through some strong growth. So, which is it?! Are we experiencing strong growth or going through the early stages of a recession? It's important to remember that the models used to predict these things can be volatile, resulting in questionable or conflicting data.
Read MoreWhat's the difference between volatility and risk? Our Peek of the Week analyzes the recent inflation numbers, current retail sales data, and the risks involved with market volatility. We do our best to explain the difference between risk and volatility. You may have noticed... we are hearing the word "inflation" A LOT and feeling the rising prices to go with it. Mainly, it's a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the supply chain bottlenecks with no end in sight at the moment.
Read MoreAccording to today's blog, "rising inflation is a bit like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store." Would you agree? And, what will it take to calm this wild child down?
Our Peek of the Week explains how the Fed is laser focused on calming our country's conditions of inflation and volatility. Fed Chair Jerome Powell was quoted saying, "We have both the tools we need and the resolve that it will take to restore price stability on behalf of American families and business."
Read MoreThe first six months of the year have been quite the ride. So far this year we've faced: ongoing inflation, witnessed the Fed's response to inflation, seen stock prices fall and we've FELT consumer sentiment tumble with it. Our Peek of the Week is explaining what brought us this bear market and how investors are expected to respond going forward.
Read MoreThe heat of summer brings one of our favorite holidays, the 4th of July! The fourth signifies our nationhood and our freedom. Please read our special 4th of July "Peek of the Week" for some great ways to spend the holiday this year. We hope that on this celebration of freedom, you make a promise to yourself to continue your hard work to stay on your path to financial freedom. And if you need help with that, we are here for you.
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