Inflation
This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the “Consumer Price Index – October 2022,” better known as the CPI. This is the most widely used definition of inflation in the United States. Given the…
There is simply no way to sugar coat the first 293 days of 2022 for investors. The S&P 500 is currently down just over 23% year-to-date. The major international stock index, the MSCI EAFE, is down…
Stubbornly high inflation continued to loom over the markets during the 3rd quarter of 2022. With little improvement in the trailing 12-month Consumer Price Index (CPI), consumers and investors wondered just how long this so-called transitory…
Many are probably familiar with the following riddle: “When is a door not a door? When it is ajar.” That is some tired stuff, isn’t it? So, let me give you a new one: “When is…
This past week was another one for the books, that is if your book is the “Doomsday Book.” Before anyone corrects me, I know what the purpose of the latter was. However, the name is just…
The best thing I can say about this week is the weather is absolutely beautiful here in Birmingham as I type this on Friday morning. Other than that, if it could go wrong this week, it…
What a difference a week and one economic report make! Things HAD been going somewhat swimmingly in September. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) drained the pool with a disappointing Consumer Price Index…
In March 2020, my wife, Margaret, and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and we had planned to celebrate with a vacation to Italy. Needless to say, that trip was postponed – several times. The trip finally…
This past week, the government reported just about every measure of inflation was lower in July than it had been in June. Even so, the trailing 12-month numbers are still near levels the U.S. economy hasn’t…
This week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced the US economy (GDP) contracted 0.6% during the second quarter of 2022 (2Q). 2Q GDP. This was the second consecutive quarter of economic contraction, as least as…