Since the pandemic ushered in a widespread global shortage of semiconductor chips that are vital to new vehicles, car prices have risen to historic highs. Three years later, the supply issue has dissipated somewhat, yet prices for new vehicles remain …
Eggs Continue To Get More Expensive – Food Sector Review
Amidst high food inflation throughout 2022, eggs have emerged as particularly costly goods at the grocery store in recent months. Egg consumption has been rising in recent years as compared to other protein sources, yet production has recently fallen due …
Demand For Bonds Rose in January – Fixed Income Review
Demand for bonds is increasing as investors have a seemingly endless appetite for debt amid signs inflation is cooling and central banks worldwide are slowing their pace of tightening. Yields fell across the yield curve in January with lower yields …
Macroeconomic Overview
Inflation became less of a concern in January as the most recent data revealed six consecutive months of falling prices. The most recent inflationary data, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), fell to 6.5% after reaching 9.1% in …
Job Openings Are Decreasing – Labor Market Update
With looming recessionary pressures throughout 2022, many corporations reversed their 2021 hiring frenzies. Instead, companies have been opting to slow down hiring, shutter positions, and implement layoffs. In fields such as technology, many companies have already admitted to over-hiring throughout …
Refilling Depleted Oil Reserves from Four Decade Lows
As a result of surging fuel costs reflective of OPEC constraints and the Ukraine war, the U.S. government withdrew over 220 million barrels of oil over the course of 2022. The withdrawal caused American crude oil reserves to run dry, …
Home Sales Fall Across the Nation – Housing Update
Following seven consecutive quarters of double-digit increases in the median sales price of American homes, pending home sales have reached an all-time low as fewer homeowners are looking to sell their homes. The reasoning behind most homeowners’ thinking is that, …
Shipping Costs Fall From Historic Highs – International Trade
In late 2021, post-pandemic shipping costs skyrocketed, forcing the prices of containers to become unaffordable for many businesses that rely on importing or exporting products. However, costs have since fallen dramatically and have recently reached pre-pandemic levels after 2.5 years …
Gas Prices Fall to an 18-Month Low – Oil Industry Update
Average gasoline prices have officially reached an 18-month low after extraordinary prices in 2022. The average price per gallon of regular gasoline across the U.S. stood at $3.09 at the end of 2022, which was last seen over 18 months …
Short Term Rates Remain Higher Than Long Term Rates – Fixed Income
40-year highs in inflation and Federal Reserve rate hikes played havoc on bonds throughout 2022, sending short and long terms rates to levels not seen in years. Short-term rates remained higher than long-term rates at the end of 2022, indicating …
U.S. Phasing Out Old Light Bulbs for LEDs – Consumer Awareness
While fluorescent and incandescent lightbulbs may be widely popular in most households, the Department of Energy suggests that LED bulbs are a superior alternative for lighting. By installing LED bulbs in rooms with heavy use of lighting, households can save …
Tax Changes For 2023 – Tax Planning
In 2022, inflation eclipsed 9% and reached 40-year highs as food and gasoline prices exhibited continuous spikes. Many consumers reported consistently feeling that their paychecks did not go as far as they used to, to which the Internal Revenue Service …
Highlights From The SECURE Act 2.0 – Retirement Planning
In response to an aging American population, a bipartisan retirement measure passing through Congress looks to assist Americans nearing retirement in the next decade. The measure, titled Secure Act 2.0, builds upon previous changes to retirement policies in 2019 and …
Macro Overview
Global equity and fixed-income markets navigated through a volatile environment as 2022 unfolded to be a challenging year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising interest rates, inflationary pressures, and a slowing economy all weighed on financial markets. The three major …
Unemployment Rate is Expected to Rise Heading Into 2023 – Labor Market Update
In September 2022, the unemployment rate hit 3.5%, its lowest point since the start of the pandemic. However, new Fed forecasts predict the unemployment rate to rise to 4.4%, which is too low by many estimates. A 4.4% unemployment rate, …
Macroeconomic Overview
Markets reacted to indications that the Fed might slow its pace of rate increases heading into the new year. Such a change in monetary policy would be positively received by financial markets with the anticipation of eventual lower rates. The …
High Mortgage Rates Scare Away Potential Homebuyers
Mortgage rates eclipsed 7% in late October 2022, their highest in over 20 years. This has discouraged countless potential buyers from purchasing a home and instead resorting to renting or staying where they currently live. Exorbitantly high rates are discouraging …
World Population Surpasses 8 Billion – Global Demographics
In 1804, the world’s population reached 1 billion people. In 1927, over a century later, it reached 2 billion. Now, just 11 years after it passed 7 billion, the world’s population officially surpassed 8 billion people. This growth is not …
Elevated Food Inflation Continues
The most recent measure of food inflation is 8.2%, with 2022 inflation at the highest level since inflation in the 1980s, and the category seeing the harshest hikes appears to be food prices. Price jumps at grocery stores directly affect …
OPEC Decides To Cut Oil Production – Oil Industry Overview
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of nations that are the world’s major oil producers, producing more than half of the world’s crude oil. OPEC has recently announced its largest cut to its production of …