19 Nov 2004

Posted at 16:35h in The Friday Brief by
Stocks on average were slightly down this week and headed for the first down week in four.  Fears about inflation fanned by the Producer Price Index on Tuesday and the Consumer Price Index on Wednesday weighed on investor enthusiasm.  Mid-week, however, Housing, Industrial Production, and growth in jobs provided good news, lifting stock prices.

12 Nov 2004

Posted at 15:37h in The Friday Brief by
The election is over, oil and gasoline prices are coming down, the stock market is going up, and the job market is improving.  These trends suggest continued improvement in the consumer side of our economy and this week’s economic numbers certainly bear that out.  The loudest and best indicator, the stock market, rose 1% this week and is up over 7% since the end of October.  All these factors suggest a better holiday season for retailers, particularly online retailers whose sales are up over 12% compared to this time last year. 

05 Nov 2004

Posted at 15:53h in The Friday Brief by
Fully aware of how deeply seated emotions are regarding the past Presidential election, and how much we are eager to get it behind us, I will be brief on that subject.  However, it is important to observe what the market told us regarding our choice of President.  Despite our deeply divided political convictions, the market made no secret of its druthers.  In the months following the Republican convention in August, the S&P rose over 7%.  The market’s strength was all the more remarkable given the steady bad news of record-setting oil prices, Iraqi war casualties, and rancorous campaign rhetoric. 

29 Oct 2004

Posted at 16:00h in The Friday Brief by
Take the most contentious and bitterly fought election in modern history and blast it ubiquitously over satellite radio, regular radio, internet news and chat forums, your home phone, television with their endless supply of ‘spin-meisters,’ interlaced with ads uglier than yesterday’s, and you wind up pretty sour.  Try to take a break from it and you will be reminded once again by yard signs, public banners, and conversations in churches, clubs, barber shops, salons, coffee shops, delis, bars, and sporting events.  The election by its nature has reminded us of the country’s problems, the information age, but its nature, has made it virtually impossible for us to reflect without distraction.