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Queen teamed up with David Bowie in 1981 to create Under Pressure which topped the UK’s singles chart.  Search the internet for an interpretation of the lyrics and you’ll find oodles of opinions.  When you’re done reading this note, take a listen here and tell us what you think.  In the meantime, let’s look at an area of the market for which the s

Economic output seems to have moderated in July 2018 according to the latest from the Institute for Supply Management. Both of their indices (representing manufacturing and services) pulled back from rather elevated levels as the second half of the year got underway.  However, output is still growing even if it is decelerating.

America’s trade deficit widened in June according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Increasing to $46.3 billion, this shortfall jumped 7.3 percent in the period.  Year-to-date, our nation’s trading gap has widened $19.6 billion or 7.2 percent versus the same period in 2017.  Both sides of the ledger worsened for the U.S.

A week ago today we got a look at the latest employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  Click here to see what we wrote regarding the strong report.  While parsing through the data, it became clear that the labor market is very tight.  But then another report issued by the BLS subsequently,

Durable goods orders were strong in June 2018 according to data from the Census Bureau.  This indicator measuring wares expected to last three years or longer rose 1.0 percent to end the first half of the year.  This monthly uptick was a welcome reversal from the prior two periods which encountered shrinking orders. 

America’s employment situation continues to be one of the most robust indicators Atlas watches.  Another 157,000 net new jobs were added to the economy in July 2018 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  This increase came on the heels of strong releases in May and June; adding to their strength, both of these two months were upwardly revised as a combined 59,000 more job

The Tail of America’s Central Bank