Weekly Financial Market Updates
State of the Stimulus
How has the coronavirus stimulus helped the economy? There are still funds to be deployed but a second stimulus package is likely needed.
Consumer Expectations Improving
This week we received survey data on the state of consumer confidence in the U.S. The punchline: Consumers are feeling a bit better. The Conference Board publishes a monthly survey of consumer confidence. As you might imagine, confidence slumped mightily in March and April on the back of the COVID-19 scare. But May’s survey points to…
Better Days Are Ahead For The Economy
Are there any signs of recovery in the economy since Coronavirus washed ashore? There’s one timely indicator we watch that says, yes, the economy is healing.
Are Negative Rates Coming To The US?
Are negative interest rates coming to the United States? The Federal Reserve says “no” but we wouldn’t write the prospect off just yet.
Will Company Earnings Recover in 2021?
One of the puzzling things we’ve seen the last two months since the COVID crisis washed ashore in the U.S. is the dichotomy between the real economy and the stock market. On one side, the real economy is posting its worst performance since the Great Depression. Yet on the other side, the stock market is…
It’s Official… We Are In A Recession
This week we got our first estimate of the impact of the COVID crisis on the U.S. Economy. As expected, we’re now in recession. But the real ugly data is still to come. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department posted its estimate of first quarter economic growth for the U.S. The result? Economic activity contracted at…
