Macro & Market Musings – 9/5/25

Comments based on information available as of 8:00am CT on 9/5/2025 Growth: Dribbling Along? There’s a saying in statistics that two data points don’t make for a trend. One data point certainly doesn’t count as a trend, either. The Federal...

Macro & Market Musings – 8/29/25

Comments based on information available as of 6:05am CT on 8/29/2025 Growth: “Beat and Raise” Momentum Earnings season is nearly over, and the results have been encouraging. According to FactSet, 81% of S&P 500 companies exceeded earnings expectations, and 58%...

Macro & Market Musings – 8/22/25

Growth: Labor Is A Lagging Indicator Employers tend to be shy about shedding workers in a slowdown. They also tend to be hesitant to hire in a recovery. That’s why labor market indicators don’t lead, they lag the economic cycle. The near stall speed of...

Macro & Market Musings – 8/15/25

Comments based on information available as of 7:45am CT on 8/15/2025 Growth: Changing Priorities The Amazon-effect is reflected in the retail sales numbers with non-store retailers posting a strong 0.8% increase in sales in July. The four-day buying extravaganza...

Macro & Market Musings – 8/8/25

Comments based on information available as of 7:30am CT on 8/8/2025 Growth: What If May And June Were The Low For The Economy? Stagflation is in the air. That’s the toxic combination of stagnation (low growth) and high inflation. But the July payrolls number...

Macro & Market Musings – 8/1/25

Comments based on information available as of 7:10am CT on 8/1/2025 Growth: How Low Can You Go? Headline gross domestic product (GDP) rebounded from the decline in the first quarter, but headlines can be misleading. Final sales to private domestic...