by Mark Chandik | Dec 18, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary The meeting held by the Federal Reserve last week was the most consequential gathering of central bankers this year. The Fed held the fed funds rate at 5.25 – 5.50% as expected, but in so many words, the Fed pivoted on its rate stance. No...
by Mark Chandik | Dec 11, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary The latest jobs report did little to alter the economic outlook. Instead, it was a steady-as-she-goes report. Nonfarm payrolls grew by 199,000 in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It was nearly in line with the...
by Mark Chandik | Dec 4, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary Many things influence the direction of stocks. Corporate profits, economic growth, general market sentiment, inflation, and interest rates are among those variables. At any given point, the influence of various factors on stocks will...
by Mark Chandik | Nov 20, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was unchanged in October from the prior month. It is up 3.2% from a year ago. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the core CPI rose 0.2%. The core...
by Mark Chandik | Nov 13, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary U.S. economic growth in the third quarter accelerated sharply, growing at an annual pace of 4.9%, according to last month’s report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. But GDP (Gross Domestic Product) data are backward-looking. It’s a...
by Mark Chandik | Nov 8, 2023
Weekly Market Commentary So far this year, forecasts for a recession or a soft landing have failed to materialize. What is a soft landing? Economic growth slows, the rate of inflation slows, but the economy stays out of a recession. In other words, the economy is not...
