Posts Tagged ‘economy’
Non-Cyclical Stocks and Their Relationship to the Economy
Three pivotal economic events of 2019 were: (1) the prolonged trade dispute between the U.S. and China; (2) the series of three interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve; and (3) chatter about a possible 2020 recession. It remains to be seen whether a recession is on the way, but if you’re concerned about market…
Read MoreThe Future of Manufacturing
The Future of Manufacturing A concerted effort to draw American manufacturing operations back to the U.S. over the past three years has done little to move the needle. In fact, a recent report from the Department of Commerce reveals that the manufacturing sector is at its lowest representation of the national economy in 72 years…
Read MoreThe Economics of Immigration
The Economics of Immigration The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted extensive studies on the effects of immigration on America’s economy. In light of heightened policy debates in the U.S., some of the most critical findings are:1 Increasing the number of legal immigrants with a college degree would have little…
Read MoreSmall-Business Growth Has Economic Benefits
Small-Business Growth Has Economic Benefits A promising way to jumpstart the U.S. economy is by helping more entrepreneurs establish their own businesses. The 30.2 million U.S. small businesses represent 99.9 percent of all businesses in this country. They employ nearly half (47.5 percent) of America’s total workforce.1 If you need further proof that small businesses…
Read MoreWhat Is The Beige Book?
What Is The Beige Book? The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) evaluates a plethora of factors before making any monetary policy decisions at meetings, which generally take place eight times a year. One source that helps inform their policy decisions is the “Beige Book,” which is the informal name for the FOMC’s “Summary…
Read MoreWe Had a Strong Q1 2019; What’s the Outlook for the Rest of the Year?
We Had a Strong Q1 2019; What’s the Outlook for the Rest of the Year? The first quarter of 2019 proved to be a strong one. The S&P 500 posted a 13.1% gain (the highest quarterly gain since 2009), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 11.15% and the Nasdaq increased by 16.5%. Bond…
Read MoreWhere U.S. Economics Stand Globally
Where U.S. Economics Stand Globally From the beginning, President Donald Trump’s economic policies have intended to put “America first.” Since the ultimate goal of such policies is to strengthen America’s economic growth, solve for domestic issues and make the nation more secure, it’s worth a review of how well policy changes are working toward those…
Read MoreChina’s Growing Economy
China’s Growing Economy General Motors recently announced the pending closure of three U.S. assembly plants and the discontinuation of six cars made at those plants. While large sedans are no longer big sellers in the United States, they remain popular in China, and GM will continue to manufacture them there.1 China is GM’s largest market;…
Read MoreTrade Agreement Updates
Trade Agreement Updates In the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), among gains for the United States is a new provision negotiated with Mexico related to auto products. Under the new terms, to qualify for tariff-free sales, 75 percent of automobile materials must be produced in the…
Read MoreInterest Rate Watch
Interest Rate Watch In late September, the Federal Reserve raised its key short-term interest rate to 2.25 percent from 2.0 percent, in its third increase of the year.1 The good news is that higher rates offer the potential for higher returns on CDs, bank savings and other fixed-rated accounts that have been languishing…
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