Then and Now

Then and Now

Overbuilding, speculation, and easy access to credit encouraged a housing boom and a bust in the 2000s. Sales cratered later in the decade, and along with it, prices tumbled. Today, housing sales have plummeted once again. According to the National Association of...
A Rollercoaster and the Carry Trade

A Rollercoaster and the Carry Trade

Ask the average investor what inflation or unemployment is, and they can probably give you a good working definition. Ask them about the ‘carry trade,’ and you’ll likely get a blank stare. Even the term itself isn’t intuitive. But a sudden unwinding of the carry trade...
A Rollercoaster and the Carry Trade

A Steady-as-She-Goes Fed and a Tame Inflation Report

Weekly Market Commentary As expected, the Federal Reserve announced last Wednesday that it held its key rate, the fed funds rate, unchanged at 5.25 – 5.50%. The Fed left the door open to a cut in rates later in the year if inflation makes meaningful progress toward...
Housing Prices Hit New Record

Housing Prices Hit New Record

Weekly Market Commentary The price of a home hit a new record, according to the latest data on housing prices. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index, which measures monthly housing prices in 20 major metropolitan areas, rose 1.6% on a...
A Rollercoaster and the Carry Trade

Drifting Higher

Weekly Market Commentary Stocks have been drifting higher for several weeks as investors search for a catalyst that could drive shares in either direction. Interest rates can influence market direction, but there hasn’t been much news recently on the rate front....