Economic Commentary

MARKETS AND INVESTING December 03, 2021   Review the latest portfolio strategy commentary from Mike Gibbs, managing director of Equity Portfolio & Technical Strategy. Short-Term Summary: The Omicron variant has sparked global market volatility over the past week- i.e. S&P 500 index -4%, average S&P stock -5.6%, and Russell 2000 -8% in just four days. […]

MARKETS AND INVESTING December 03, 2021   Review the latest Weekly Headings by CIO Larry Adam. Key Takeaways U.S. has already taken steps to combat omicron The Fed’s quantitative easing goals have been met Inflationary pressures are starting to peak Will we have a ‘December to Remember?’ Or one we want to forget? The S&P […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY December 03, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data. In his congressional testimony, Fed Chair Powell noted that “factors pushing inflation upward will linger well into next year” and “with the rapid improvement in the labor market, slack is diminishing and wages are rising at a brisk pace.” […]

ECONOMY AND POLICY December 03, 2021   Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions. The November Employment Report was a mixed bag. Nonfarm payrolls rose less than anticipated, but the unemployment rate fell sharply. The shortfall in payrolls (relative to expectations) likely reflects the usual noise in the monthly data, it might reflect difficulties […]