U.S. Consumer Prices Up 0.3% in September… Energy and housing drove prices higher. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose a modest 0.1%. What it means – Prices increased 1.5% from last year, and core inflation jumped 2.2%. That’s higher than the Fed’s 2.0% target, but they don’t use the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ core […]
Bond and Stock Markets Both Reach Record Highs… The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield fell to 1.36%, a record low, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both moved up to record highs. What it means– Both trends make perfect sense, but not from an investing point of view. For bonds, central banks around the world are […]
The U.S. Added 287,000 Jobs in June, the Highest Total Since October 2015… The dismal reading of 38,000 jobs last month was actually revised lower to 11,000, while the April total was adjusted a bit higher. The three-month average is 147,000. What it means – As noted last month, part of the ugly numbers for May was the Verizon […]
Federal Reserve Leaves Rates Unchanged… The central bank left short-term rates at zero, but specifically mentioned in their press release that they could raise rates as soon as December. What it means – The Fed reminds of Wimpy from the cartoon Popeye. Wimpy is famous for saying, ” I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a […]
The U.S. Economy Created 142,000 Jobs in September, Far Below the Expectation of 200,000… The reports for August and July were revised lower, by 37,000 and 22,000 respectively. What it means – Less. That’s the theme of the entire report. Fewer jobs were created than expected, hours worked declined, labor force participation dropped, and even earnings […]