The Consumer Bolsters GDP

The Consumer Bolsters GDP

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported last week that Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the largest measure of goods and services for the economy, expanded at a 2.3% annualized pace in the fourth quarter. That’s down from 3.1% in Q3. While a little lighter...
2024 Market Summary and Financial Forcast

2024 Market Summary and Financial Forcast

Best Two Years in a Quarter-Century In late 2022, a new bull market emerged from the ashes of a nine-month bear market, leading to 2023’s impressive rise of over 26% for the closely followed S&P 500 Index, according to S&P Global (including dividends...
Housing’s Worst Year in Nearly 30 Years

Housing’s Worst Year in Nearly 30 Years

It is not much of a stretch to say that home sales are in the basement. In 2024, the annual number of existing homes sold fell slightly to 4.06 million, the lowest since 1995. It’s important to note that 2024 came in lower than we observed during the height of the...
Despair to Jubilation and Beyond

Despair to Jubilation and Beyond

It’s prudent to cautiously eye rapid changes in market sentiment caused by short-term traders. A week ago, our summary focused on a strong jobs report, rising bond yields, and general concerns about inflation. There was a sense of despair among traders at week’s end....
A Wall Street vs Main Street Jobs Report

A Wall Street vs Main Street Jobs Report

On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, easily surpassing analyst expectations of a more modest increase of 155,000 (Wall Street Journal). The unemployment rate eased to 4.1% last month from 4.2% in...