The American Heritage dictionary defines “doldrums” as a period of stagnation or slump. As we have officially begun the summer of 2014, the question arises as to whether the financial markets are heading into a period of potentially side-way’s performance. This period is commonly referred to as the “summer doldrums”. Once again the time has… Continue reading The Summer Doldrums?
Tag: employment
The Spring Thaw
The latest batch of economic data confirmed that much like the return of greenery to the gray winter landscape, the financial environment around us continues to improve as well. This “Goldilocks” economy is one of not too hot or not too cold. The data points are mixed with a positive trend. This is exactly the… Continue reading The Spring Thaw
Riders on the Storm
The employment consensus estimate for last Friday was 180k. The actual number was 113k, a rather large miss! For 2013 the monthly average was 194,000. The January number is on the back of the weak December number where only 74,000 jobs were added, revised marginally to 75,000 in January. The overall employment rate however dropped… Continue reading Riders on the Storm
Tailwinds
In life we deal with opposites and opposing forces every day, hot/cold, positive/negative and so on. In the financial markets it is much the same. Global activity is poised to benefit from strengthened balance sheets in developed markets, less uncertainty and lower inflation. On one opposite end stands the Fed. If growth and hiring continue… Continue reading Tailwinds
The Color of Money
Economists have a full palette of colors to paint any economic picture they desire. The markets seem to be happy right now, with less red going into the picture. Our basic economic palette consists of housing, employment and corporate earnings which all have moderated, but they do not show signs of deteriorating further and remain… Continue reading The Color of Money