Articles & Commentary
Please choose any of the following articles below that interest you. Each article is listed under the month it was written. Articles written in prior months may still have educational interest.
Macro Economic Overview / September 2023
Congress is spending the bulk of September deliberating over the Federal Budget for fiscal year 2024 as a looming deadline [...]
Market Indexes
September 2023 (all values as of 08.31.2023) Stock Indexes: Dow Jones 34,721 S&P 500 4,507 Nasdaq 14,034 Bond Sector Yields: [...]
Inflation Slows to a Two-Year Low – Inflation Trends
Inflation measured at 3% in June, a two-year low not seen since March 2021. Inflation peaked at a four-decade high [...]
Fixed Income Overview
Government and corporate bond yields saw a slight increase in July as the Fed raised short-term rates and increased government [...]
Equity Overview
U.S. equity markets advanced in July as positive earnings momentum and some optimistic economic news helped propel the market. The [...]
Dollar Losing Value as Fed Continues to Raise Rates – Currency Overview
When the Fed began increasing its Fed Funds Rate in 2022, the U.S. dollar became stronger as higher rates attracted [...]
Credit Scores Tend to Drop After Retirement – Retirement Planning
Credit scores are a vital piece in determining whether an individual is qualified for a plethora of life-changing purchases, from [...]
Business Bankruptcy Filings Increasing – Economic Sentiment
An indication of where the economy might be headed is business bankruptcy filings. Small and large businesses tend to react [...]
Macro Economic Overview
The rating on U.S. government debt was cut from AAA to AA+ by Fitch, one of the three major credit [...]
Market Indexes
August 2023 (all values as of 07.31.2023) Stock Indexes: Dow Jones 35,559 S&P 500 4,588 Nasdaq 14,346 Bond Sector Yields: [...]
Wages Lag Behind Inflation in Nearly All U.S. Cities – Employment Update
Real wages, or workers’ pay adjusted for inflation, have decreased for 26 consecutive months. Even when nominal wage growth has [...]
People Are Eating In Instead of Going Out
The restaurant industry continues to experience turbulence that originated with the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. [...]