@theMarket: Stocks Consolidating Near Highs Into End of First Quarter By Bill Schmick,
02:29PM / Friday, March 29, 2024 | |
An important government inflation metric, the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE), for February came in as expected on Good Friday. Since the markets were closed, as investors celebrate the three-day Easter holiday weekend, Monday, April 1, should be interesting.
Core PCE rose by 0.3 percent from the previous month. Year-over-year PCE prices rose by 2.8 percent, easing slightly from the 2.9 percent increase in January. The PCE is the Federal Reserve Bank's favorite inflation indicator. As such, it carries a lot more weight when determining whether the central bank will stand pat or decide to cut interest rates in the months ahead. The February numbers 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Immigrants Getting Bad Rap on the Economic FrontBy Bill Schmick,
04:26PM / Thursday, March 28, 2024 | |
Immigration has become a dirty word among Americans. Illegal aliens take the brunt of the nation's animosity, for sure, and are vilified for a long list of crimes that few question. I am one of the few who see a positive side to migrants.
Politicians on both sides of the aisles are competing to keep as many immigrants as possible from entering the country. Campaign speeches by many radicals warn that the situation has reached cataclysmic proportions. The media stokes these fires with shots of dark-skinned refugees fording rivers, shivering in lines surrounded by barbed wire, and headlining any crimes that involve an immigrant. This is nothing new.
The 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Sticky Inflation Slows Market AdvanceBy Bill Schmick,
05:21PM / Friday, March 15, 2024 | |
February inflation data showed no progress on inflation. That follows the same kind of readings from the previous month. While two months does not make a trend, the disappointing numbers gave investors pause.
Both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and its cousin, The Producer Price Index (PPI), came in warmer than economists had expected. Consumer prices rose 3.2 percent in February from a year earlier but were only slightly higher than economists' expectations of 3.1 percent. The PPI rose 1.6 percent year-over-year, which was the largest gain since last September. Month-over-month, the PPI at +0.6 percent was double the average forecast.
These data points 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Eating Out Not What It Used to BeBy Bill Schmick,
04:50PM / Thursday, March 14, 2024 | |
Many Americans are getting a bad case of sticker shock when their check arrives at their favorite restaurants. Higher costs for labor, food, and a variety of other inputs are conspiring to make dining out a luxury item that fewer can afford.
Lest you think that these sky-high prices are confined to the white tablecloth crowd, guess again. I'm talking about everywhere. Prices in fast food chains, your neighborhood bar and grill, the home-style diner on the corner, and even your local Chinese takeout joint are jacking up prices.
By the beginning of this year, the costs of eating out rose more than 30 percent since 2019, according to the Labor Department. I 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Markets March to New Highs (Again)By Bill Schmick,
02:15PM / Friday, March 08, 2024 | |
At this point, a day without a new high seems almost abnormal. AI stocks rage higher, joined by weight loss companies like Lilly. The good news keeps rolling in with even Chairman Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve Bank seemingly more dovish.
The Fed chairman testified before both the House and Senate this week. He indicated that we could expect a couple of interest rate cuts this year if the inflation data continues to weaken. He also said that if it does, the Fed won't wait until inflation hits its 2 percent target before loosening monetary policy.
The economy continues to grow, and while there is some evidence that labor growth is moderating 0 Comments
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