This week’s meme-stock pop is a sign that US equity markets are frothy and potentially peaking, according to the latest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse survey.

The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for U.S. growth, employment, interest rates and inflation.

In April, the recent stock market performance showed a slight drop, followed by a recovery in the S&P 500, while smaller companies faced challenges from higher interest rates. Despite this, the economic outlook remains positive, with moderate inflation and steady growth.

Global Property Equities portfolio managers Greg Kuhl, Guy Barnard and Tim Gibson discuss the current attractive relative valuation opportunity and merits of residential REITs.

Managers are increasingly focusing on sectors beyond tech that could benefit from the rise in AI in the short term. These include healthcare and consumer companies, which also have more attractive valuations.

The JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive officer said significant price pressures are still influencing the US economy and may mean interest rates will be higher for longer than many investors are expecting. Dimon cited costs linked to the green economy, re-militarization, infrastructure spending, trade disputes and large fiscal deficits.

New US home construction rose by less than forecast in April and permits for new activity dropped, suggesting the recent rise in mortgage rates is giving builders pause.

There was white smoke over the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sort of, on Wednesday morning. The key measures of consumer price inflation for April confirmed expectations for a slight decline, and alleviated growing anxiety over a possible reacceleration. Risk assets across the world spent the rest of the day exhaling deeply.

Aside from the big box bloodbath of 2022, when an abrupt halt in buying left Walmart Inc. sitting on too many sweatpants and patio sets, the world’s biggest retailer has been one of the beneficiaries from inflation.

Walmart kicks off retail earnings season as high interest rates and inflation raise concerns over continued robust consumer spending.

Anticipation is one of those mental states that can result in either relief, or disappointment. We may anticipate the results of a test, for example, and feel relieved if the results are good, or disappointed if they are not.

As artificial intelligence rolls out around the globe, will it drive inflation or deflation? The answer is both — one and then the other, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s new global co-heads of sales and research.

Time and again, Jerome Powell has made it clear. Financial conditions, the Federal Reserve’s key lever for cooling the US economy, are tight.

A measure of underlying US inflation cooled in April for the first time in six months, a small step in the right direction for Federal Reserve officials looking to start cutting interest rates this year.

Here are the key takeaways from the US CPI report for April released Wednesday.

An unfortunate byproduct of the dollar’s unexpected surge has been the revival of a bogey that just won’t die: currency wars. The phrase gets thrown about during periods of dislocation in the foreign-exchange market and has the beauty of meaning whatever the person who utters it desires.

Our holiday from history has come to an end. I am referring not to world peace but to the zero-interest-rate environment so many people expected would last forever.

With the potential for higher-for-longer yields across countries, we see the global fixed income opportunity set as the most attractive in years.

An elevated or rising rate environment creates pockets of opportunity within asset classes such as closed-end funds.

The dollar's strength, particularly against major Asian currencies, has triggered a wave of skittishness in financial markets. Can anything be done to stem the greenback's rise, and even if something can be done, should it?

Skepticism is warranted when inflation stories exclude bad news.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank needs to be patient as it awaits more evidence that high interest rates are curbing inflation, doubling-down on the need to keep borrowing costs elevated.

US household debt has reached a record and more borrowers are struggling to keep up.

Investors are understandably frustrated by listed real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P Real Estate Select Sector Index is off 2.1% over the past three years, belying real estate’s reputation as an inflation-fighting group.

Nothing has been setting the US bond market’s direction this year more than the monthly inflation figures. This week will be no exception.

Wall Street strategists are worried that US stocks are on a trip to nowhere, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go along for the ride.

Last week was quiet on the economic and data front. The one high frequency data indicator we did receive was jobless claims, which ticked up after a dull stretch of near constancy. The jobless claims figure came in at 231,000, which is at the higher end of my preferred range of 200-240k.

Franklin Templeton Institute’s Tony Davidow discusses democratization of alternative investments and the lessons learned from institutions that have historically used alternatives with Matt Brown, Founder and CEO of CAIS.

One theory making the rounds is that if President Trump gets back into office, inflation is going to surge.

Markets seem to have been basking in the spring sun as they wait for the approaching summer heat, so to speak.

In this issue of Sinology, Andy Rothman offers his perspective on two key questions.

The biggest US tech stocks are not only a bet on innovation but also a possible hedge against inflation, according to some respondents in the latest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse survey.

Faced with the greatest challenge of the 21st century, America is giving up.

Here we go again. Brace for the latest dose of critical data on US inflation over the next three days, as the New York Federal Reserve publishes its monthly survey of consumers’ inflation expectations Monday, followed by the Labor Department’s report on producer prices Tuesday and consumer prices Wednesday.

The latest FOMC meeting caused a stock rally as Jerome Powell turned more “dovish” than expected. While Powell did note that progress on inflation has been lackluster, the announcement of the reversal of “Quantitative Tightening” (QT) excited the bulls.

As an advocate of sound fiscal policy and a strong believer in the power of free markets, I find Argentina’s recent economic overhaul under President Javier Milei not just refreshing but essential in today’s world of bloated government spending.

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said she doesn’t expect it will be appropriate for the Fed to cut interest rates in 2024, pointing to persistent inflation in the first several months of the year.

Do presidents and prime ministers make economies? Or do economies make presidents and prime ministers? 2024 is a year of significant elections, with more voters heading to the polls worldwide than ever before.

Guessing the direction of interest rates is no easier than any other tactical or market timing decision. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note is just under 3.9%. That is about 100 basis points less than it was a few months ago. Fed policy is uncertain, inflation has not been fully controlled, and fiscal deficits loom as a long-term risk for yields to go higher.

Life is full of surprises. If you don’t have a crystal ball, you can’t really predict what may come next in your life—or in the markets. That’s why we should always be prepared for any potential situation.

Investors have been obsessed with when the Fed will cut and how many rate cuts there will be this year and over the entire cycle.

In this PIMCO Perspectives, we examine how the return of elevated bond yields comes at an opportune time to consider shifting out of cash.

A recap of the important drivers, along with our views on how things will play out over the rest of the year.

Stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities have made significant moves in the past few months. Find out what factors to consider when deploying or redeploying capital from Franklin Templeton Institute’s Stephen Dover.

We think the intersection of hope and fear offers opportunity across asset classes and market segments. Tapping into it, however, requires in-depth research and a discerning eye. Waiting for a clarion bell to ring before deploying capital might leave investors a step behind.

Over the last five years, financial markets grappled with two generational upheavals—the Covid pandemic and the subsequent inflation surge post the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Rather than wait for interest rate cuts, some companies are opting to simply offload debt, which could be a boon for corporate bonds.

Anshul Pradhan and Stephen Stanley both saw the current US bond market coming. They just don’t agree on where it’s going.

Insiders at the Magnificent Seven tech companies are following Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg in realizing gains from the stocks that have largely powered the boom in US equity markets.

Points of Return often argues for caution on stocks. It never argues to get out of them altogether. That’s because history demonstrates that over long time spans it’s very dangerous to be out of the market altogether.