U.S. house prices
More Central Bank Hikes Despite Lower-Than-Feared Oil Prices
September 29, 2026
Any U.S.-Iranian ceasefire deal before the U.S. midterm elections seems highly unlikely. And yet, the West Texas Intermediate price of crude oil settled back 0.8% from Monday’s closing level and at $91.86 is much closer to $90 than triple-digit territory. Somewhat greater traffic is moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and oil users are doing […] More
Closing in on the End of 2025
December 30, 2025
The release this afternoon of minutes from the FOMC’s policy review earlier this month will be the last meaningful economic event of this year. Many stock markets will in fact be closed tomorrow, including those in Japan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Argentina and Venezuela. Others will close early such as those in Great Britain, France, […] More
Markets Waiting for the Proverbial Godot, I.E. Fed Easing
May 28, 2024
I found the market’s initially upbeat reaction to Fed Chairman Powell’s May 1st press conference puzzling and dismaying and in my opening post the following day wrote Investors had a somewhat more comforting reaction to Fed Chairman Powell’s press conference than I, fixating on the fact that he generally doubted there were be a need […] More
Weak U.S. Data Elicits Investor Relief
August 29, 2023
When inflation reduction is the dominant policy priority, investors hope to see weaker-than-expected data like those released today. U.S. job openings, job hires, job separations, and job quits were each fewer in July than June; openings fell to a 28-month low. The Case-Shiller index of house prices in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas recorded a year-on-year […] More
Markets Jolted by Omicron Fears
November 30, 2021
Each month, no two-day sequence produces a heavier data release flow than the last business day on one month and first business day of the next. Navigating that period this time was magnified by worrisome developments in the race to understand the new Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic. The CEO of Moderna, whose vaccine […] More
Equities Revive as Markets Look Ahead to FOMC and Kavanaugh Hearing
September 25, 2018
The FOMC is expected to raise its interest rate tomorrow. New forecasts will be released, and Powell presides over a press conference. A third woman has surfaced, accusing Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is set for Thursday. The third event of this upcoming three-ring circus will be the […] More
