Chart of the Month – Sept 2022

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices spiked to a nationwide peak of $5.02/gallon on June 13, 2022. Since then, the price of gas has been coming down, but the discussions about it have not slowed at all.

Recession “Reaction”

Plenty of arguments exist as to why we will be and/or already are in a recession. However, there is good news out there that isn’t readily reported.

Chart of the Month – July 2022

Sooner or later, we're likely going to see demand cool off. The big question is how quickly inflation alters consumer spending and how quickly that pulls back inflation.

Chart of the Month – June 2022

There are nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker with labor statistics showing 11.4 million job openings compared to 5.9 unemployed workers as of April 30, 2022. This mismatch between jobs and workers means that workers have options, including leverage to ask for more pay.

Chart of the Month – May 2022

Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future? 

How Can Investors Benefit from Higher Rates? | Financial Perspectives

With inflation and interest rates rising, are there any silver linings for investors? One DIY US government bond investment you may not have heard about will soon be yielding over 9%. This week, Kent Kramer takes a look at I Bonds, what is happening in markets and the global economy, and what investors may want to know.

Chart of the Month – July 2022

Sooner or later, we're likely going to see demand cool off. The big question is how quickly inflation alters consumer spending and how quickly that pulls back inflation.

Chart of the Month – June 2022

There are nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker with labor statistics showing 11.4 million job openings compared to 5.9 unemployed workers as of April 30, 2022. This mismatch between jobs and workers means that workers have options, including leverage to ask for more pay.

Chart of the Month – May 2022

Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future? 

How Can Investors Benefit from Higher Rates? | Financial Perspectives

With inflation and interest rates rising, are there any silver linings for investors? One DIY US government bond investment you may not have heard about will soon be yielding over 9%. This week, Kent Kramer takes a look at I Bonds, what is happening in markets and the global economy, and what investors may want to know.

Chart of the Month – Apr 2022

Housing affordability is trending in the wrong direction. Take a look at our chart of the month showing housing affordability over the last 50 years.

Happy New Year? | Financial Perspectives

Market returns for the first three weeks of 2022 have not been full of happy reports. US stocks, especially some of the biggest names and winners of 2020 and 2021 have fallen into what is called “correction” territory. Is inflation and the concern with rising interest rates the whole story?

New Year – Rates are Rising | Financial Perspectives

Welcome to 2022 where the news seem to focus, again, on rising rates –for COVID infections due to Omicron, inflation, and interest rates. The markets seem to be most concerned about interest rates. This week Kent Kramer looks at why that might be the case and what may be in store for interest rates in 2022.

November 8, 2021 Financial Perspectives

You know the old saying, “What goes up must come down.” How is it that currently everything seems to be going up at the same time? Signs of inflation like oil prices, labor prices, trade deficits. And yet markets are going up with stocks at all-time highs. Bond prices are rising this week when often, bond prices move inversely to stock prices. Government spending is certainly going up, consumer spending is going up and tax rates seem to be poised to rise as well. What do all these upwards mean for investors?

October 11, 2021 Financial Perspectives

Friction can slow can down any machine. What was humming along only minutes or weeks ago, can labor under the strain of too little oil, a little sand in the gears, you name it. The US economy and markets have been seeing an increase in perceived frictions over the past month. Can we get back to smoother operations?