01 Sep 2006

Posted at 15:40h in The Friday Brief by
Three weeks after the Federal Reserve ceased its 17th straight quarter point interest rate hikes debate continues as to whether they are finished, even among Fed officials. Minutes released from their latest meeting reveal that members expect core inflation “to decline gradually” and that pausing was a “close call.” Many believe that more increases may well be needed even while saying “the full effect of previous increases in interest rates on [economic] activity and prices probably had not yet been felt, and a pause was viewed as appropriate to limit the risks of tightening too much.”

09 Dec 2005

Posted at 16:01h in The Friday Brief by
The asset category leader for the fourth quarter so far, aside from Internet stocks, is gold.  The metal is up almost 13%, quarter to date.  Traditionally a move like this signaled bad news – too much liquidity leading to inflation, or falling currencies, or recession.  But, not this time.  Inflation remains tame, the dollar is actually rising with gold, and the economy continues strong. 

09 Sep 2005

Posted at 16:37h in The Friday Brief by
Inflation talk is picking up as Fed governors and economists speak these days.  This week, the Labor Department trimmed its estimate for non-farm business productivity growth in the second quarter to a 1.8% annual rate from 2.2%.  That’s down from a 3.2% pace in the first quarter.  The Labor Department also said labor costs rose more sharply in the second quarter than it first estimated, and that labor costs rose in the year ending in June at the fastest pace in five years.  Labor costs are the biggest generator of consumer inflation. 

26 Aug 2005

Posted at 14:45h in The Friday Brief by
The week was all about oil – again.  Prices rose as Tropical Storm Katrina threatened oil production in theGulf of Mexico.  On Wednesday the price of a barrel of crude rose to $67.32, a new record.  Today as Katrina heads into the Gulf, it trades at $67.55.  Global demand for oil is now so high that any previously inconsequential disruption can threaten the supply of the irreplaceable energy source, at least in the fears of traders.