A “growth scare” by definition is a sudden fear the economic expansion is faltering.  With the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recently hitting one-month lows, signs of unease are appearing.  Many interconnected concerns are fueling this apprehension, from policy uncertainties in a new administration to deteriorating macroeconomic signals.  And this is happening at a time when the Federal Reserve is still focused on bringing down inflation.  The most recent inflation number reported by truflation.com is 2.33% (see below), so very close to the Feds target of 2%.  However, the Fed uses [...]

So, we just saw the first rate cut since the Fed took an aggressive approach to taming inflation in the spring of 2022.  What was it that the Federal Reserve saw that gave them confidence in shifting their approach?  Well, if we look where inflation has come down from in the last few years via truflation.com, we have come a long way.  The US inflation index now sits at 1.52%, down from 11.5% at the peak of the recent crisis.   The Federal Reserve has two key mandates – maximum [...]

We have none. Ah yes, another election year full of divisive, negative, and persuasive rhetoric from folks on both sides of the aisle. We all recognize the importance of such a year and the ability to have a vote in electing our leaders, but we cannot help feeling some level of dread and outright exhaustion as the process plays itself out. I (Ian) am sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping to discover Jim’s, Scott’s, Curt’s, or any of the rest of the team’s political opinions in this article. [...]