Larry Adam takes stock of how the economy and markets have performed since the beginning of the year and take a fresh look at where we are heading as we progress through the year.

Markets have taken the Federal Reserve (Fed) decision to keep about 75 basis points (bps) cuts in its dot plot as a very positive sign that the Fed is going to actually cut 75 bps during the year and are still acting upon the news.

The central bank will look to cut interest rates three times by the end of 2024.

Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

Do you know that the headline Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) was 2.4% in January while the core PCE was 2.8%? This is very close to the 2% target.

With the U.S. economy posting two consecutive quarters of 3%+ GDP growth, recession calls have quieted down.

For many investors, fixed income is intended to serve as the ballast of a portfolio. This means that it hopefully provides stability in turbulent times while providing consistent and known income, cash flow, and return of principal.

Sometimes, and February was one of those times, the information on the U.S. labor market doesn’t make sense. Many argue that government agencies are cooking the books.

The move higher in the S&P 500 has been historic. In fact, the S&P 500 has climbed ~17% over the last four months and is on pace to rally 17 of the last 19 weeks.

Recessions are part of the economic cycle. No one looks forward to a recession because of the pain it can impose on investors or worse, job security.

The economy continues to hum along (Atlanta Fed 1Q24 GDP estimate: +3.0%), albeit shifting down a notch from the pace seen in the final quarters of last year.

Personal income increased more than expected in January, up 1.0% (or $233.7 billion). The increase in January closely matches what happened in January of 2023 when it increased by 0.95% (or $213 billion).

Equity investors didn't mind the extra day this February as both domestic large-cap stocks and small-to-mid-cap stocks saw steady gains through the month, bringing both groups into positive territory year-to-date, though the latter continues to lag.

Rob Tayloe discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

Four years ago this week (2/19 to be exact) the S&P 500 climbed to an all-time high of 3,386 before plunging over -34% as the world economy shutdown due to the pandemic.

From a very weak retail sales report for January 2024 to stronger inflation readings as well as increases in credit card and auto loan delinquency rates during the last quarter of 2023, the picture for consumer demand has weakened considerably.

Even at the risk of sounding like a parrot by repeating the same thing again and again, we think that it is, once again, appropriate at this time to do so: “One data point doesn’t a trend make.”

One of the major benefits of municipal bonds is that the interest earned is exempt from federal income taxes. The appeal of earning money that you do not have to pay taxes on understandably piques the interest of many investors.

Once again, as we have argued several times before, if the Fed, once after having achieved its 2% target and remained at the target for several years, decides that a different target may be more effective for conducting monetary policy, they may decide to change the target.

Most of us associate 529 accounts with college savings. They’re flexible, allowing you to transfer assets to anyone, including yourself, for the express purpose of furthering the education of your beneficiary. But did you know that a 529 can be a powerful estate planning tool?

Mega-cap Tech names have been strong outperformers year-to-date. In fact, a composite of the biggest names, or MAGMAN (MSFT, APPL, GOOGL, META, AMZN, NVDA) is up 12%, while the rest of the S&P 500 is up just 2%.

Whether you have a family member turning 18, or someone in your life looking to build wealth from the bottom up, this primer provides a solid overview of the basic types of securities, investing strategies, and valuable lessons to help pave the path toward financial confidence.

The can has been kicked down the road several times but it feels like the end of the road is in sight.

Markets have made themselves clear for a while: they want more rate cuts than what Federal Reserve (Fed) members seem to be willing to accept at this time.

A period of market volatility and consolidation is likely as markets have already priced in much of the economy's good news.

The Fed concluded its January policy meeting leaving interest rates unchanged, which was widely expected.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) elected to not raise the federal funds rate at the January 2024 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

For many investors, fixed income investments have a primary objective of preserving wealth. The known characteristics of owning individual bonds are a major reason for this: known income, known cash flow, known redemption date, known redemption value.

In the middle of 2023 we argued that, according to our forecast for GDP at the time for the whole of 2023, employment was growing too fast and that it would have to slow considerably during the second half of the year.

Mega-cap tech-related names (MAGMAN) drove equity returns in 2023. However, heading into 2024 market consensus expected returns to broaden to other equity sectors and market cap sizes.

Many investors buy individual bonds as a means to preserve their wealth. They can serve as a method to balance growth assets (such as stocks).

Treasury yields have steadily climbed since the start of the year, with the 10-year Treasury yield rising back to 4.16% after reaching a low of 3.79% in late December.

The negative side of the strong increase in mortgage rates has fallen on those who did not have a home before the start of the increase in rates and on the ability of those Americans to purchase a home.

Stronger-than-expected growth, concerns about the U.S. government's fiscal outlook and the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) pledge to keep interest rates higher for longer drove yields to levels not seen in decades.

We did an internal survey among our associates, attempting to get a feel for their views on various economic and fixed income topics. Any survey result concerning the future can net inexact results but nonetheless reveal general sentiment. Attitude, outlook, and opinions can help shape the market.

Currently, consensus earnings growth is expected to be 1.3% YoY for the fourth quarter, which would mark a deceleration from 3Q (+6.1%).

We have read plenty of analysis on what the Federal Reserve (Fed) should do as it decides when to start lowering interest rates this year. Much of the analysis is well-intentioned as well as based on very good arguments.

A lot was going on with rates in 2023, yet, at the end of the year how different were things? The 10-year Treasury yield's lowest closing was 3.30%, while its highest close was 4.98%.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) left the door so wide open after the end of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in mid-December 2023, that markets have run ahead and have continued to push long-term rates lower since the decision was announced.

The long-awaited recession never materialized in 2023 as the sectors of the economy rotated from hot (i.e., travel and leisure) to cold (i.e., housing) over the last few years.

The S&P 500 reversed its 2022 losses, and then some, closing the year near a record high.

Welcome to 2024! As we wade into the new year, you will undoubtedly read and hear a wide range of forecasts predicting what financial markets are going to bring us over the next 12 months.

Here are our 10 themes for 2024. Count on more than a few surprise ingredients throughout the year to spice up the financial markets.

The year 2023 will be remembered by economists and investors as 365 days of resiliency and defied expectations. This week’s Weekly Economics will dive into the U.S. economic landscape and summarize the major factors that shaped the nation’s economic trajectory this year.

The year-end fiscal 2023 government funding bill contained legislation that makes the most significant changes to the U.S. retirement savings system in decades. The SECURE 2.0 Act builds on retirement savings changes passed in 2019 and contains new provisions that further raise the required minimum distribution (RMD) age, shift to automatic plan enrollment and provide for new matching/emergency withdrawal opportunities.

The market has been indecisive but with reason. 2023 has been filled with strong opinions however, many of the opinions are of contrasting beliefs. Reading the future is not easy.

Over the last few months, we have highlighted that the Fed should be done with its tightening cycle based on real-time, high-frequency data that suggested that economic growth and inflation were cooling.

November’s inflation numbers delivered good news for the Federal Reserve (Fed) even though the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was higher than what markets were expecting, with shelter costs surprising to the upside.

The last three years have seen extraordinary market turbulence and ever-changing market narratives – from COVID-19 to inflation, rising interest rates to geopolitical instability.

A tentative timeline toward rate cuts in 2024 was revealed in the updated Summary of Economic Projections.