Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: April 23-29 GDP reading signals the economy is slowing The first reading of first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) was released last week, coming in lower than the forecasted 2.0% at 1.1%. The mild winter in most of the U.S. led to a temporary surge in consumer spending in…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: April 16-22 Markets are muted as we await the Fed It almost feels as if it’s the middle of summer for markets. After the major dustup from the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank situations and the government’s subsequent actions, markets seem to have calmed down and are…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: April 9-15 Inflation recedes a bit more than expected The latest inflation numbers are in — and they’re better than expected. The consumer price index (CPI) report was released last week, revealing prices went up 5% year over year in March. It’s the slowest pace since May 2021,…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: April 2-8 Employment numbers are a mixed bag The first week of the new quarter was a short one for investors, as markets were closed on Good Friday. The closure meant traders weren’t around to react to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) nonfarm payrolls report for March,…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: March 26 – April 1 2023 is 25% done Goodbye, Q1 and hello, Q2. After dropping in early March, markets ended the month — and the first quarter — on an upward swing. Boosting the market’s mood: A key gauge of U.S. inflation rose last month but by…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: March 19 – March 25 Fed bumps rates another 25 basis points while banks continue to make markets nervous The Federal Reserve raised interest rates at last week’s meeting by another 25 basis points (0.25%), bringing the federal funds rate to 4.75%-5.0%. This was the ninth increase since…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: March 12 – March 18 Are there cracks in the banking system’s foundation? To say lots has been happening in the U.S. banking system over the past two weeks is quite the understatement. First Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were closed by regulators. Then fissures appeared over…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: March 5 – 11 Powell disappoints markets – again “More work to do” and be prepared to sit on higher rates, is what Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell effectively told Congress last week. The Fed will likely raise interest rates more than expected to combat high inflation at…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Feb. 26 – March 4 March picks up where January left off Remember the phrase, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb?” As we closed out a turbulent February, where we gave back almost half of our sparkling January returns, March started much…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Feb. 19 – Feb. 25  Market grapples with higher rate expectations Despite one less trading day last week, we managed to pack in a lot of activity. The markets had another rough week with angst over what the Federal Reserve will — or will not — do at…