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Arthur “Pop” Momand created the comic “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” a strip depicting the McGinnis family who struggle to keep up with the lifestyle of their neighbors.  Since its creation in 1913, Americans have been doing just that.  Our economy is driven by consumption.  Spending on goods and services represents roughly 70% of the nation’s output

While they are not duking it out like King Arthur and the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, President Donald Trump and Federal Open Market Committee Chair Jerome Powel appear to be at odds.  Both sides are searching for their own holy grail, and their paths keep crossing.

It’s mid-summer Friday morning, and dinner is already top of mind.  I don’t know about you, but something with some leftovers for tomorrow morning’s breakfast, hot or cold, seems about right.  Just one delicious dish comes to mind: pizza.  This classic meal originated as a peasant food, tracing back to 18th-century Naples, Italy.  At the time, it was a city

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, commemorating the birth of America with fireworks, Atlas looks forward to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Championship and the Twilight Zone Marathon.  Joey Chestnut will be competing this year after a sponsorship-related ban in 2024.  We’ve also just discovered that the Heroes & Icons Network (not sure if our house gets th

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell addressed the press Wednesday following the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision to keep the overnight interest rate unchanged.  During the Q&A, he offered an assessment of the economic outlook in light of recent tariff increases.  Powell emphasized that while the U.S.

The impact of technology on service-related jobs, particularly through the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), is drawing notable parallels to the transformations experienced by factory work during waves of automation.  According to this New York Times article, debuts of new technologies in

Jury duty is a civic responsibility where citizens are randomly selected to serve as jurors in legal trials.  Having served as a jury foreman about a decade ago, I can attest to the deliberative process Americans are fortunate to have when considering the facts of important moments in the lives of the parties involved in a case.  As of this writing, I just finished my day of jury duty

The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is here.  It is pervasive in daily stories about the world of finance.  Firms are certain to mention it in their quarterly earnings calls.  In short, it seems to be part of our future.  Like most phenomena, though, it comes with its downsides as well.  

Vigilantes are not something one ties to the boring old bond market very often.  However, a well-known economist, Ed Yardini, coined the term back in the 1980s when bond market investors protested against what they perceived as inflationary or fiscally irresponsible government policies.  They could be causing a stir once again. 

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one way to measure the output of our economy.   It considers how money is spent in America by consumers, businesses, and the government.  Recently, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released the advance report on first quarter 2025 GDP, and it was negative for the first time since declining for two consecutive quarters in 2022.