Author Archives: LSAConnect

Economic Update 4-15-2024

Economic Update 4-08-2024 U.S. stocks fell back last week, seeing more volatility than in the recent few months. By sector, energy stocks rose 4%, followed by communications up over a percent. The majority of other sectors lost ground, oddly led … Continue reading →

Economic Update 4-01-2024 U.S. stocks continued their run of positive weeks, with the S&P 500 again reaching record highs. However, breadth has improved, with outperformance from the equal-weight version of the index and small caps outperforming mega-caps. Value and more … Continue reading →

Economic Update 3-25-2024 U.S. stocks continued a run of positivity, with the mid-week FOMC decision of leaving rates unchanged being far from a surprise, but the dovish press conference commentary boosted market sentiment, relative to the more hawkish tone that … Continue reading →

At their March meeting, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee kept the Fed funds range unchanged at 5.25-5.50%, where it’s been since last July. There were no dissents. The formal statement today was barely changed from January, when it was … Continue reading →

Economic Update 3-19-2024

Economic Update 3-11-2024 U.S. stock sentiment was seemingly again driven by the back-and-forth of whether Federal Reserve rate cuts would be coming sooner rather than later. Fed Chair Powell’s testimony to Congress last week included that the short-term rate was … Continue reading →

Economic Update 2-26-2024

Economic Update 2-20-2024 U.S. stocks started decently but ran into the wall of CPI inflation on Tuesday morning, which showed less improvement than expected. However, weaker retail sales helped the slowing growth narrative, as the timing and depth of interest … Continue reading →

Economic Update 2-12-2024 U.S. stocks saw continued gains last week, with the S&P 500 exceeding the milestone 5000 level. These tend to result in enhanced media attention on stocks, sometimes related to a ‘fear of missing out’ effect by investors. … Continue reading →