Financial News & Insights

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK The government shutdown extended to its 28th day, making it the longest on record with no clear end in sight. The White House upped its estimate of the impact of the government shutdown to a 0.5ppt drag on 19Q1 growth after four weeks.This is much higher than pr

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK U.S. equity markets built on last Friday’s gains, firming up for the second consecutive week. Seemingly-fruitful trade negotiations between the U.S. and China offered notable support. With respect to data, both the ISM non-manufacturing index and small business

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK The New Year came with baggage from the old for thousands of federal employees caught in the middle of a budget tug-of-war between Congress and the White House that has led to a partial government shutdown. The volatility in stock markets continued early in the

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK As widely expected, the Fed hiked rates once more this year. At the same time, the Fed’s dot plot moved lower over the forecast horizon. These changes are consistent with a softer inflation and economic outlook. Data came in broadly positive, with housing starts

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK After some optimism early in the week, financial market sentiment soured as focus shifted back to fears of an escalation in trade tensions, Brexit uncertainty, and a potential economic downturn in 2019. The U.S. consumer remained unbowed in November, with consum

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Data released this week remains consistent with the view that U.S. economy continues to expand at an above-trend pace. Although disappointing in terms of the headline, job gains were also consistent with an economy running near capacity. Furthermore, wage growth

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK FOMC minutes released this week suggested that flexible could be the new gradual for the Fed. While a rate hike for December may be in the cards, future moves are now more dependent on the incoming economic data. President Trump and Xi are set to meet-up at the

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Equity market volatility persisted this week as the main indexes were dragged down by tech and energy stocks. The latter resumed their slide as oil prices fell to their lowest levels in more than a year. Housing data was mildly positive, but continued to drive i

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Equity markets were volatile again this week as concerns over global growth remained top of mind for investors. Economic data continues to point to solid economic growth stateside, with little signs that global weakness has caught on domestically. Inflation data

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Between the midterm elections and a Fed rate decision there was plenty of news this week. But after the dust settled there was very little new information. In the midterm elections, Democrats gained a majority in the House of Representatives, and Republicans tig