news
July Outlook: Fed Rate Cuts Move Back Again
Federal Reserve officials continue to slow-play rate cuts, a good news-bad news scenario for the U.S. economy. On the bright side, the Fed has yet to cut rates because the economy remains strong. One piece of evidence is a national unemployment rate that’s just 4%. However, investors and borrowers have been anxiously awaiting a rate…
Read MoreJune Outlook: Fed Rate Cut Keeps Getting Delayed
Federal Reserve policymakers meet June 11-12, but almost no one expects that they’ll cut interest rates. Market watchers generally agree that the Fed is unlikely to move on rates until late 2024 at the earliest. With investors hyperfocused on inflation, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari garnered headlines when he told CNBC in late May that…
Read MoreMay Outlook: Never Mind About Those Rate Cuts
Just a few months ago, everyone thought the Federal Reserve would cut rates six times this year. Now, with inflation still high and the labor market continuing to boom, a new possibility has emerged: The Fed might not cut rates at all. “Given the strength of the labor market and progress on easing inflation seen…
Read MoreWhy We Love Investing in Car Washes
Why We Love Investing in Car Washes Over the past decade or so, as Gen Z and Alpha enter the stage and Millennials age into middle adulthood, there has been a significant shift in consumer behavior, veering away from the traditional ‘do it yourself’ services towards a more convenient ‘do it for me’ model. This…
Read MoreApril Outlook: Strong Economy Postpones Rate Cuts
Inflation is still running hotter than hoped, labor markets are near full employment, and stocks and home prices are at or close to record levels. Against that backdrop of a booming economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is communicating that the central bank is in no rush to cut interest rates. “This economy doesn’t feel like it’s…
Read MoreMarch Outlook: Fed Watchers Return to More Cautious Outlook
Not so long ago, investors expected the Federal Reserve to cut rates six times in 2024. But still-high inflation and a still-strong job market keep throwing wrenches into those optimistic plans. Now, it seems likely that the central bank will hold off on cutting rates, and it is almost certain to make fewer cuts this…
Read MoreFebruary Outlook: How Long Until Fed Cuts Rates?
Investors keep hoping the Federal Reserve will cut its federal funds rate from its current target of 5.25% to 5.5%. And Jerome Powell and company keep disappointing the optimists. The latest example came at the Fed’s Jan. 31 meeting. The Federal Open Markets Committee held steady on rates – and Powell, the Fed’s chairman, indicated…
Read More2024 Outlook: Fed Finally Gives Investors Some Good News
Nearly two years after it began aggressively raising interest rates, the Federal Reserve has signaled that 2024 will be the year when investors get relief. In mid-December, markets cheered the Fed’s signals that it has finished raising rates this cycle and expects to begin cutting in the coming months. Reflecting investors’ new expectations, 10-year Treasury…
Read MoreDecember Outlook: Is the Fed ‘Pivot’ Finally Here? Maybe, But Soft Landing Could Prove Tricky
The Federal Reserve began hiking rates in March 2022, a strategy designed to fight the most intense wave of inflation experienced by the U.S. economy since the early 1980s. Since then, the Fed has lifted its policy rate target from 0.25% to 5.5%. Investors are wondering when the Fed will loosen its stranglehold. In a…
Read MoreNovember Outlook: U.S. Economy Keeps Surging – But For How Long?
Just when you expect the United States economy to zig, it zags. Gross domestic product, the primary measure of economic output, grew at a 4.9% annualized rate from July through September, the Commerce Department reported Oct. 26. The faster-than-expected pace outperformed forecasts. Since the Federal Reserve began aggressively raising interest rates in early 2021, nearly everyone has…
Read More
