I've updated this series to include the April release of the consumer price index as the deflator and the monthly employment update. The latest hypothetical real (inflation-adjusted) annual earnings are at $48,368, down 8.3% from 50 years ago. Hourly earnings are below their all-time high after adjusting for inflation.

There are still some optimists in the market confident that a solution will be found in time to the US debt-ceiling crisis even as the Washington stalemate persists and many investors shun the most at-risk Treasury bill issues.

Review the latest portfolio strategy commentary from Mike Gibbs.

It would appear that the decline in European natural gas prices has contributed to an increase in Eurozone GDP estimates for the year. Once prices crossed below $50, GDP estimates began to rise, and now the consensus expects .6% GDP growth from the Eurozone this year.

There is a disconnect between the Fed’s message regarding taking a pause in hiking interest rates this year and the market’s expectations of rate cuts.

The Banking emergency arising with mid-sized, regional banks is a direct consequence of policy decisions. Examine the causes of bank failures in 2023 and the potential for larger contagion.

A wage-price spiral isn't imminent in Europe, but inflation may take a while to descend.

Tom Hauser, Co-Head of Corporate Credit, discusses his current views on opportunity in leveraged credit. Economist Paul Dozier updates on the latest economic data.

Jamie Dimon said it’s time for regulators to help put an end to the turmoil in the banking industry, but he’s already predicting policymakers will take away the wrong lessons from this year’s upheaval.

Portfolio manager John Paul Lech explores the defining changes of the last three years. Here he explains how he is navigating the new era of rising interest rates and financial tightening.

Saving for college can be daunting. Many parents don’t know how prepared they will be for college costs in the future. Parents face the question of how much to save and which funding vehicles to use.

China reported year-over-year inflation last night at just 0.1%, 0.2% lower than expectations. Clearly, China’s reopening is not creating price pressures, which brings the strength of the reopening into question.

The longer-term risks of sticky inflation, monetary policy changes, and slowing economic growth continue to challenge the markets. Within this uncertain backdrop, Franklin Income Investors’ Ed Perks shares his latest outlook and the investment opportunities he sees across fixed income and equities.

The central bank likely won't have enough reason to hike rates again this cycle. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see one or two rate cuts later this year.

We are presented with this decision in finance a lot. There is a small probability of something bad happening and a large probability that everything will be fine. What do you do to insure yourself against something bad happening? Because there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) released for April puts the year-over-year inflation rate at 4.93%. It is well above the 3.75% average since the end of the Second World War and above its 10-year moving average, now at 2.61%.

Join the thought leaders at WisdomTree and VettaFi for a robust discussion about the challenges and opportunities available in the fixed income space.

Let's do some analysis of the Consumer Price Index, the best-known measure of inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) divides all expenditures into eight categories and assigns a relative size to each. The pie chart illustrates the components of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers, the CPI-U.

Corporate America, one of the few reliable purchasers of equities in this bear market, is retreating from its buying binge, fresh evidence that the Federal Reserve-induced slowdown is taking a toll on business sentiment.

The 20th century Baby Boom was one of the most powerful demographic events in the history of the United States. We've created a series of charts to show seven age cohorts of the employed population from 1948 to the present.

Single-stock exchange-traded funds made a splash in the industry when they debuted last year. Now one issuer is hoping to double the existing lineup.

U.S. Treasury debt is considered the closest debt in existence to having no default risk. The ongoing game of financial chicken between Congress and the White House puts this assumption in doubt.

So far this year, the ETF industry has witnessed as much sound as fury. While we haven’t seen the record-breaking flows of past years, we have seen plenty of launch and closure activity.

This is part of a continuing series of analyze-out-loud videos prepared at the suggestion of subscribers to the FAST Graphs’ YouTube Channel on how to research stocks – and how to know when to buy or sell a stock.

Stock selection in a climate investing strategy takes more than just avoiding companies exposed to global warming risks. The process should intersect with an active search for diverse opportunities among companies helping to fight climate change, but with high-quality business models, too.

Markets want to believe policy interest rates will soon fall—but inflation and growth data tell a very different story, argues Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai.

This morning's release of the April Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand was up 0.2% month-over-month seasonally adjusted, down from last month's 0.4% decrease in prices. Headline PPI for final demand is at 2.3% year-over-year, down from a 2.7% increase last month, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis.

An allocation to fixed income may help investors navigate a potential recession as well as uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s policy trajectory.

Fixed-income markets are likely to be volatile given macro-driven risks and the higher cost of borrowing.

The Cboe's new 1-Day Volatility Index, launched on April 24, and was built to measure the expected volatility of the S&P 500 over the next day of trading. VIX1D is a response to a surge in the use of extremely short-dated options.

Markets will likely get increasingly unsettled as the X-date approaches without resolution. Congress has about four weeks to hatch a deal. Chief Economist Brian Horrigan looks at five possible scenarios and relates important considerations for each.

The latest Underlying Inflation Gauge full data set for April is 4.0%, down 0.3% from last month, while the prices-only measure is 3.4%, down 0.2% from last month. Current Headline CPI is now 4.9% and Core CPI is 5.5%.

Over the last year and a half, we have seen some of the highest inflation rates since the second of the two recessions in the early 1980s. Recently, we have started to slowly make our way back down and are currently at levels seen during the early 1990s recession. Here is a table showing the annualized change in Headline and Core CPI, not seasonally adjusted, for each of the past six months.

On May 3, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments on whether Massachusetts citizens will get a state-level fiduciary rule. The Fiduciary Institute submitted an amicus brief that said, emphatically, “Yes!” This is why.

Today, one in three of the 65-69 cohort, nearly one in five of the 70-74 cohort, and nearly one in ten of the 75+ cohort are in the labor force.

Shifts in the labor market due to monetary policy tightening would see lagged effects that may not aid central banks' efforts to materially affect core inflation by year's end.

As investor interest in ETFs that promote higher environmental, social, and governance standards fades, more issuers are shutting down these funds.

In a market where conflicting views abound, two major Wall Street trading desks agree on one thing: US stocks will rally on any soft inflation print Wednesday that could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to halt its tightening campaign.

Lawmakers in Washington set government spending and revenue plans every fiscal year, usually producing a shortfall that many of us know as the federal budget deficit.

With the Fed purposely trying to slow economic growth and a banking crisis in full swing, do the heightened risks argue for accepting the current bond yields and reducing equity exposure?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the April Consumer Price Index data this morning. The year-over-year Headline CPI came in at 4.9%, down from 5.0% the previous month (n.s.a) and lower than the forecast of 5.0%. Year-over-year Core CPI (ex Food and Energy) came in as expected at 5.5%, down from 5.6% the previous month (n.s.a).

After moderate gains in March, markets continued to rally in April. U.S. markets were up by low single digits, while bond markets were moderately positive. International markets were mixed, with developed markets showing modest gains while emerging markets ticked down.

Pay attention to the bond diversification, resiliency quality stocks may offer, and current allocation to cash within portfolios in the wake of Fed action.

The financial media is rife with misinformation on the debt ceiling and the jump in interest rates. However, a history review shows that the “debt-ceiling” issue is not only a non-crisis, but the recent rise in rates is likely an opportunity to buy bonds.

Doug Drabik discusses fixed-income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

Economic reports and corporate data last week highlighted the cautious stance of corporations, contrasted against a resilient consumer, who continues to be propped up by strong demand in the labor market and increasing wages.

Watching Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger Saturday in Omaha caused us to think about a very popular 1960s TV show called, “The Dating Game.” Hosted by Jim Lange, the game was played with the host on one side of a wall with a male or female contestant.

The labor force participation rate (LFPR) is a simple computation: You take the civilian labor force (people aged 16 and over employed or seeking employment) and divide it by the civilian non-institutional population (those 16 and over not in the military and or committed to an institution). As of April, the labor force participation rate is at 62.6%, unchanged from last month and better than the expected 62.5%.