Weekly update: Lower rates, resilient consumers Presented by Marc Aarons Hope you are doing well! Last week delivered a mix of steady progress and fresh challenges for the U.S. economy. The Federal Reserve’s dovish policy move signaled a shift toward supporting growth as signs of cooling emerge in both employment and consumer spending.   Though […]

GDP Shrinks in 1st Quarter – What Americans Should Know Presented by Marc Aarons You may have seen that the U.S. economy contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025. Given that this is the first decline in nearly three years, I wanted to offer some helpful context and an overview of […]

QUARTERLY ECONOMIC UPDATE THE QUARTER IN BRIEF Two events strongly influenced U.S. and foreign financial markets in the fourth quarter – one unexpected by many, the other widely anticipated. Neither of them particularly upset investors. Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election led to a rally on Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve’s December interest […]

A review of Q2 2016 THE QUARTER IN BRIEF As the first half of 2016 ended, the economy seemed to be repeating the pattern seen in 2014 and 2015 – a poor first quarter giving way to a better second quarter. Monthly indicators showed improvements in consumer spending, retail sales, and manufacturing. Consumer confidence also […]