Market Commentary
Market Commentary
Market Commentary: 4.3 Million Quit Their Jobs in August; Rise in Retail Sales Beats Expectations
Three economic data points released last week indicated the economy continues to rebound despite lingering challenges from the Delta variant. Job openings, which lag other measures by one month, fell to 10.4 million. Declines in demand for leisure and hospitality jobs pulled the openings back from July’s all-time high. Workers are showing increased confidence as a record 4 million people quit their jobs.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Unemployment Falls to 4.8%; U.S. Trade Deficit Hits Record
For the second consecutive month, the U.S. job market created far fewer jobs than expected. September’s report showed only 194,000 jobs were created, missing expectations by nearly 300,000. A deeper look at the data shows the report wasn’t as bad as indicated by the overall number.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Equity Markets Have Worst Month of Year; Virus Variants, China Among Key Risks
Equity markets struggled in September as interest rates, inflation concerns, and developments in China all weighed on stock market averages. The S&P 500 surrendered 4.7% as large-cap growth companies led the market lower. Large-cap growth has been the top performing style box since the beginning of the second quarter.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged, Could Begin Tapering of Asset Purchases this Year
The Federal Reserve met last week, and Chair Jay Powell indicated tapering this year is more likely than not. The decision on when to reduce the central bank’s purchases of government-backed bonds will likely be affected by the employment report released a week from Friday. If labor market strength resumes, the Fed appears likely to roll back its support.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Consumer Demand Stays Strong, Continuing Trend Toward Lower Inflation
Two U.S. economic reports provided reassuring news about the economy. The inflation trend moderated in August. Consumer price inflation (CPI) rose 0.3%, down from 0.5% the previous month and below estimates of a 0.4% increase (Figure 1). Excluding food and energy, prices increased just 0.1%.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Amid High Worker Demand, Job Openings Rise to 10.9 Million
July job openings increased to 10.9 million, up 779,000 from June. The record number suggests weaker August job growth was partly related to a low supply of workers and demand for workers remains robust.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: U.S. Job Creation Slows, Emergency Unemployment Benefits Expire For 7.5 Million People
The U.S. economy produced just 235,000 new jobs in August, missing expectations of 725,000. Unemployment dipped to 5.2%. Average hourly earnings rose 0.6%, partly because wages continue to rise more rapidly compared to the pre-pandemic pace.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Fed Chair Signals Reduction in Bond-Buying Program; S&P 500 Reaches Another All-Time High
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell joined the chorus of Fed officials signaling the U.S. central bank would reduce its bond-buying program designed to keep long-term interest rates low and sustain the economy during the pandemic. After two strong jobs reports and generally positive economic news, Fed officials seem ready to reduce bond purchases later this year.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: S&P 500 Doubles From Its Pandemic Low; U.S. Retail Sales Decline
The benefits provided by recent stimulus packages seem to be fading. U.S. retail sales dipped 1.1% last month and have now declined in two of the last three months [Figure 1]. Declines in motor vehicle and online purchases led the fall. Restaurant sales grew 1.7% in July and continue to rebound. Federal Reserve minutes indicated the economy looks strong enough for the central bank to taper bond purchases in coming months.
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Market Commentary
Market Commentary: Inflation Surge Loses Steam, Job Openings Continue to Increase
Core inflation moderated significantly last month, rising only 0.3% after jumping 0.9% in June. Used vehicle prices, which rose 10.2% in June, increased only 0.2% in July. Core CPI excludes food and energy prices, which rose 0.7% and 1.5% respectively. Those two categories propelled overall inflation 0.5% higher, down from 0.9% last month.
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