Per the latest report from the Institute of Supply Management, manufacturing activity in the United States dipped slightly in March compared with February. However, this apparent decline is rather a correction and momentary. Further, it is also indicative of a burgeoning economy even as the global markets remain resilient. Such claims can also be supported…
This morning’s employment report for March showed a 103K increase in total nonfarm payrolls, which was worse than forecasts. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1%. The Investing.com consensus was for 193K new jobs and the unemployment rate to drop to 4.0%. Here is an excerpt from the Employment Situation Summary released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:…
Trade and equity market volatility, which are not completely separate, continue to dominate investors’ interest. Many had come around to accept that while trade tensions were running high, it was likely to be mostly posturing. This conclusion may have helped lift the S&P 500 around 3% over the past three sessions. However, early in the Asian…
As financial markets adjust to a new, higher, level of volatility, it is worth considering what the central banks might be thinking longer term. Many commentators have been blaming geopolitical tensions for the recent fall in stocks, but the central banks, led by the Fed, have been signalling clearly for some while. The sudden change…
U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) to Climb 185K in March, Unemployment Rate to Downtick to Annualized 4.0% from 4.1%. Average Hourly Earnings to Increase to 2.7% per Annum from 2.6% in February. Will the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Endorse Four Rate-Hikes for 2018? TRADING THE NEWS: U.S. NON-FARM PAYROLLS (NFP) A 185K expansion in U.S….
In a previous TalkMarkets post (“A Security Selection Method That Beats The Market”), I mentioned that, since June 8th, I’ve been posting Portfolio Armor’s top ten names each week. These names are ranked based on my site’s estimate of their potential returns over the next 6 months, net of hedging costs (each of these top names…
‘Here We Go Again’ – might as well be the famous old tune applicable to this market; because as the lyrics suggested: “I’ll throw all your old stuff away” (China); “I’ll clear you out of my head” (retreat to domestic stuff); “I’ll tell everyone that we’re through” (though we’re really not; hence no trade war…
by Bryan Adams, FactSet Much of the focus on mergers and acquisitions is on mega deals that change industry landscapes (Disney/Fox, Amazon/Whole Foods, CVS/Aetna). However, these deals are typically only relevant and dissected at announcement, when the shock of a deal makes for good headlines and dinner party chatter, and everyone questions the rationale as…
They say not to judge a book by its cover. I’m sure my mother must have told me this as a child. And yet I’ve ignored this advice all my life. So, shame on me, Mr. Judge-not-lest-you-be-judged failure, for ignoring my kindly mother’s advice. And I offer yet another judgment of someone I’ve never met,…
Two weeks ago, the Federal Reserve decided to hike rates again. This was no surprise. What was surprising, however, was the subsequent drop in long-term rates and the further flattening of the yield curve. New Fed Chair Jay Powell said he expects to continue hiking rates as planned, with two more this year, three more in 2019,…
