The performance of the stock market in Q2 is even more impressive given the environment and backdrop at the end of Q1. On February 19, 2025, the S&P 500 made a new all-time high.(1) But momentum…
Thought Leadership
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IRAN’S OIL GRIP: UNDER THE RADAR, OVER THE BARREL If you’re only looking at production numbers, Iran might be dismissed as a second-string energy player – outpaced by Saudi Arabia, sidelined by sanctions, and mostly boxed…
ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION During the 2nd quarter, economic globalism either seemed to have died or veered wildly off course. If actions speak louder than words, domestic investors didn’t really seem to mind too terribly much. TARIFF THREAT…
TRUMP’S FIRST TERM EFFECTS Whether you agreed with his policies or not, the stock market loved Trump during his first term in office. The S&P 500 grew at a blistering clip of 64% during his first…
Predicting the future of U.S. economic growth used to be pretty easy. All you did was take what happened during the previous quarter, then either add or subtract based on your analysis of a host of…
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, many people questioned how things could get any more chaotic than they were in the first. It didn’t take long to find out. On April 2, speaking from the White…
Recently, the headlines have been anything but boring. However, you might be surprised by how difficult it has been to come up with interesting topics for this newsletter. After all, while the world may seem like…
I wish I could say, “What a great quarter to unplug from the markets.” But the 2nd quarter of 2025 seemed to be one of the more exhausting in recent memories — at least dating back…
With illegal border crossings decreasing and self-deportation on the rise, the U.S. economy could eventually see an overall decrease in consumer demand — either from fewer people consuming goods or lower-than-expected population growth. Obviously, this could…
Not surprisingly, I have fielded a number of questions about the “big, beautiful bill” (OBBB) and what it might mean for the economy and the Federal budget, moving forward. Unfortunately, I am certain my responses have…