Santa Brings Holiday Cheer
It would seem that consumers are feeling the holiday cheer this year, celebrating an end to lockdowns and the muted festivities of last year.
Commodity Performance Tumbles in the Second Half of 2022
The second half of 2022 has been abysmal for commodities as concerns about global economic growth, geopolitical tensions, and falling energy prices have weighed on the market.
Just How Tight is the Labor Market?
Last week, Chairman Powell dedicated a significant portion of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) press conference to discuss the Fed’s intention to weaken the tight labor market in order to prevent wage-push inflation from becoming entrenched.
Defense Stocks – Restocking the Arsenal of Democracy
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of this year has fundamentally shifted many of the preconceived notions regarding modern war held by military planners. The reserves of arms, ordnance, and equipment, let alone human life, required to conduct sustained large ground combat operations far exceeds any estimates previously believed by the DoD.
Regional Disparities in the Real Estate Market
Signs of a collapse in the housing market have been evident throughout the year and have now begun to impact home values. While the national median sales price is a commonly referenced metric when analyzing home values, the decline in that metric alone does not provide a complete picture. Home price declines have not been uniform throughout the country, and in some areas, higher mortgage rates and lower demand have even caused home values to fall below where they were a year ago.
Eurozone Inflation Breakdown
Like the rest of the world, EU central bankers have been working diligently to curb inflation in the Eurozone. On the 15th of this month, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 50bp rate hike, following in the footsteps of the FED and Bank of England. These announcements come as the EU has been grappling with decades-high inflation, drastically increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.