Market Commentaries
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Fed Pauses Again
09-25-2023 |The financial world was entirely focused on the meeting and actions of the Federal Reserve throughout the past week.... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Oil Prices Push Inflation Up & Markets Down
09-18-2023 |Oil prices last week hit their highest levels in 2023 when Brent and WTI traded at $93 and $90 per barrel, respectively. The third consecutive weekly rise in oil prices comes as Saudi Arabia and Russia announced cuts to their daily production by 1,000,000 barrels and 300,000 barrels through the year's end. These cuts could create a global supply shortage in the fourth quarter, leading to potential further price appreciation in the commodity.... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: September Begins with More Fed Watching
09-11-2023 |As we remember the tragic events on this date twenty-two years ago, we honor the individuals who lost their lives on that day and the many emergency personnel who have succumbed to illnesses related to the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. We will never forget.... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Labor Data Update Ahead of Labor Day
09-05-2023 |Fittingly, the week before the holiday weekend, in which we recognize workers' contributions to America, our weekly market update revolves heavily around economic data involving labor. The release of labor data updates kicked off last Wednesday when ADP released a report indicating that private-sector employers created 177,000 jobs in August. ... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Chair Powell Reaffirms Inflation Fight
08-28-2023 |Last week, market strategists were focused on a speech that Federal Reserve Chairman Powell gave at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Jackson Hole is an annual event sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and often offers timely economic views on monetary policy and other important topics that help shape policy for global central banks. Powell spoke on Friday, so any economic data released before the speech was factored into the ongoing debate concerning the Fed's next potential policy action. ... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Treasuries Rise to 15-Year High
08-21-2023 |Investors concerns over the state of the economy and the outlook on interest rates pushed the 10-Year Treasury bond to its highest level in 15 years last week, reaching a yield of 4.28%. Minutes from the Federal Reserves most recent meeting indicated that the possibility of future rate hikes still exists as inflation remains higher than what policy makers would like to see. ... Read More
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Last Week’s Markets in Review: Inflation Data Remains in Focus
08-14-2023 |The old adage that Wall Street slows to a crawl in August seems to have been the case during the past week. With the reporting cycle for second-quarter corporate earnings nearly complete, there were no headlines that moved the market. Economic data was also sparse, with the exception of inflation data.... Read More
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Last Week’s Market in Review: U.S. Credit Downgrade Pressures Markets
08-07-2023 |For the second time in the past 15 years, the U.S. credit rating was cut by a major rating agency. Last week, Fitch cut the U.S. long-term rating from AAA to AA+, as it cited rising concerns over the increasing government deficit. This was not a blindsided downgrade by the agency either, as Fitch put the U.S. rating on negative watch in May when lawmakers in Washington once again fought over an agreement on the country’s debt ceiling. ... Read More