by Mark Chandik | Mar 27, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary The Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate, the fed funds rate, by 25 basis points (bp, 1 bp = 0.01%) to a range of 4.75 – 5.00%, as most observers had expected. A few saw no change. Before the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a...
by Mark Chandik | Mar 20, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary George Bailey is the fictional character in the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Set mostly in the 1920s and 1930s, George runs the Building & Loan, a thrift that’s besieged by worried depositors. George appealed to his customers not to...
by Mark Chandik | Mar 13, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary In the last 48 hours we’ve seen the 15th largest bank fail due to a lack of liquidity and then be bailed out by the Fed overnight. This crisis might stop the Fed from increasing rates next week. The Fed is caught between two tough...
by Mark Chandik | Mar 6, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary The economic distortions tied to that pandemic and the government’s massive response to prop up the economy have been far-reaching. Before continuing, let’s look at some facts and definitions. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the total...
by Mark Chandik | Feb 27, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary Last year, the economy appeared to be headed toward one of two scenarios. There was a narrow path to what is called a ‘soft landing.’ A soft landing is a slowdown in economic growth that leads to a slowdown in inflation. It’s accomplished...
