Higher for Longer - September 2023

While the Federal Reserve chose not to raise the Fed Funds rate last week, Chairman Jerome Powell made it clear during his post Fed meeting press conference that rates will stay higher for longer. This took some by surprise. After living through over a decade of interest rates near 0% the stock and bond markets are now digesting the idea rates may stay higher for longer, offering a real rate of return over time. Such digestion can cause uncertainty, fortunately uncertainty often creates the next set of opportunities.
The first quarter of 2022 is now in the books. Below is performance data on various indices for the quarter.
Spring is here! Spring is always a great time for a portfolio review. Whether it’s a review of current holdings, updating your advisor on changing cash needs, or a simple assessment of your allocation, this is a good time of year to touch base…
As expected, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25% at their meeting Wednesday, March 16th. The median dot plot, the forward view of rate increases projected by policymakers, now expects six additional hikes in 2022 and 3-4 in 2023,…
On Friday, February 04, 2022, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 467,000 jobs in January. This far exceeded expectations of near-zero additional jobs. The unemployment rate increased to 4% from 3.9%, indicating more people…
During the Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting on Wednesday, January 26, the Fed set expectations for a March 2022 interest rate increase. The Fed highlighted the strong labor market and inflation levels that are well above targets as reasons to begin…
On Wednesday, December 15, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced it will accelerate the pace (tapering) of its monthly bond purchases. In November, the Fed announced it would begin reducing its purchases of Treasury bonds by $10 billion per month and…