The U.S. economy entered 2024 with a good deal of momentum. A much fretted-over recession failed to materialize, and economic growth topped expectations, with GDP growing 3.3% in the fourth quarter and total year growth of more than 3%. At the same time, inflation has trended down significantly, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve […]
The past year was widely expected to be a challenging one for both the markets and the broader economy. For much of 2023, the question was not if, but when, the economy would lose steam in the face of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive inflation-combating interest rate hikes and there was a broad consensus that we […]
As we head into the final quarter of the year, the prevailing theme regarding the economy has become “no boom, no bust.” Inflation is trending down, the economy is expected to see moderate growth, and it appears the Federal Reserve may be on track to engineer something of a “Goldilocks” scenario, slowing the economy enough […]
All eyes have been on the Federal Reserve, which is walking a precarious tightrope between slowing economic growth and easing, but still-high, inflation. Investors have pored over every piece of economic data trying to determine what it will mean for the Fed’s thinking with regards to interest rates. The key question remains: how high will […]
The past year was the first time in more than a century that cash outperformed both stocks and bonds. Stocks posted their worst year since 2008, when the economy was in the midst of the Great Financial Crisis. Bonds fared even worse. By some measures, the last year was the worst period for the U.S. […]
