Economic Commentary

ECONOMY AND POLICY July 02, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. The June Employment Report was mixed but strong. Nonfarm payrolls were reported to have risen by 850,000 (vs. a median forecast of 700,000). However, part of that increase was due to a quirk in education. Less hiring during the […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY July 01, 2021   Raymond James Chief Economist Scott Brown breaks down the three functions of money and discusses how currencies have transformed over time. To read the full article, see the Investment Strategy Quarterly publication linked below. Money is the lifeblood of the economy, a key factor in the historical development […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY June 25, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. Fed Chair Powell testified that inflation is expected to drop back to the long-term 2% goal as transitory supply effects abate – nothing new, but that may have left stock market participants with less anxiety than the week before. […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY June 25, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. We are still in a peri-pandemic economy. That is, we aren’t done with COVID-19. The virus is still affecting economic behavior. It seems clear now that the post-pandemic economy is going to differ from the pre-pandemic economy. Work-from-home is going […]