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America’s jobs market started off strong in the second half of this year.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our nation added 209,000 net new jobs in July 2017.  These newly filled positions helped push the country’s unemployment rate down to just 4.3 percent, an improvement of one-tenth percent versus June.  Headlines are often deceiving, but even the

Executive compensation has garnered many headlines over the past few years.  Many wonder whether or not C-suite executives are being paid too much.  At the very least, they are compensated much more than in the past when compared to the typical employee.  A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that CEOs of America’s largest firms made $15.6 million on average or 271

Consumer attitudes are mixed according to two popular surveys.  Per Consumer Confidence numbers from the Conference Board, Americans felt better in July 2017 than a month earlier as it enjoyed a 3.8 point jump from the downwardly revised tally of 117.3 (originally 118.9) to 121.1 in the period.  However, the Consumer Sentiment Index produced by the University of Michigan was decidedly

America’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 2.6 percent on an annualized basis during the second quarter of 2017 according to the first of at least three estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This represents an acceleration compared to the economy’s pace in the first three months of this year when output grew by just 1.2 percent (downwardly revised from 1.4 percent).

Economic output improved in June 2017 according to data from the Chicago Federal Reserve’s National Activity Index (CFNAI).  The monthly tally reversed some of May’s downward slide of -0.3 percent by increasing +0.13 percent as the year reached the half-way point.  Rising to +0.06, the three-month moving average for this comprehensive look at the economy suggests America&r

Durable Goods Orders for June 2017

America is quickly approaching its debt limit, and some market participants are concerned.  Their worry stems from the possibility that our nation will be unable to pay debts that mature soon.  According to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the Treasury will run out of money in early to mid-October.  For the first time since the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the

Sales of new homes improved slightly in June 2017 according to data from the Census Bureau.  Signed contracts totaled 610,000 on an annualized basis, an uptick of 5,000 compared to May’s downwardly revised tally (originally 610,000 as well).  Additionally, the year-over-year figure improved to 9.1 percent from 8.0 percent a month earlier, so the upward trend appears to be firmly

Sales of existing homes dipped in June 2017 according to the National Association of Realtors. Declining 1.8 percent, this latest month gave back all of May’s uptick and then some. Coming in at 5.62 million units, June’s tally is the second lowest of this year, better than only February’s count of 5.47 million.

Retail Sales declined for a second consecutive month in June 2017 according to data from the Census Bureau. Following May’s upwardly revised decline of 0.1 percent (originally -0.3 percent), this indicator dropped 0.2 percent. Not only was the monthly change negative, but the year-over-year trend decelerated to just 2.8 percent from 4.1 percent in the prior period.