In a holiday-shortened week, there is plenty of data. The Case-Shiller home-price index will set the tone on Tuesday morning. After last week’s soft housing reports, many will be asking, Will housing weakness undermine economic growth? Prior Theme Recap Last week I expected a focus on bonds versus stocks. It was a light week for […]
How worried should we be about the Ukraine crisis? Last week some regular readers whom I respect asked why I did not mention the Ukraine situation. It was a fair question, given the attention from the financial media. My answer was that it was an important story on many fronts – defining the future Putin […]
Some weeks feature a contrast between past and future — a possible inflection point. Here are the current elements: Important economic data with a forward look; Earnings news from major companies reporting on Q114; Corporate conference calls explaining the outlook for future earnings; and finally Economic implications for improved economic growth and business conditions worldwide. […]
Sometimes markets emphasize simple themes, rejecting even modest efforts at nuance. The current big stories are the record highs in stocks, the length of time since the last significant correction, and the “market is rigged” meme. These themes are all easily grasped and interesting media fodder. It has set the agenda. Meanwhile, the economy seems […]
Rightly or wrongly, markets continue the Fed fixation. Many expect (or demand?) a change in Fed policy. This week marks the first FOMC meeting with Janet Yellen as the Chair. Since there will also be an update to forecasts, the announcement will include a press conference. With some fresh data and plenty of news since […]