Federal Reserve

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet reflects that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In other words, the essence of the thing (in her case Romeo), not the label, is what truly matters.

The Federal Reserve left the door ajar at Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, not fully open nor closed, but just wide enough to keep markets guessing about the next steps.

Markets like stability whether its economic, geopolitical or otherwise.  Stability helps buyers and sellers agree on the current and potential future values of a variety of financial and real estate assets, thus driving their prices.  As stability wanes, the spectrum of expected outcomes stretches, inviting a broader range of opinions about potential future values.

Welcome to Friday, jobs day.  Your federal government may be shut down, but Atlas is not.  A quick glance at the economic calendar will show you that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is supposed to release the September 2025 labor report later this morning.  This would in turn cause Atlas to send you a note about the release’s details.  That initial condition was not met

The Federal Reserve heavily influences the American economy.  Every six weeks the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gathers to determine the correct course for monetary policy; they do this by setting the Fed Funds Rate (the amount charged for overnight loans between banks).  In short, they are trying to strike a balance between controlling inflation and supporting the labor market

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.

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.

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

Last week Atlas sent a note called How Did We Get Here?

Tour guides are useful when exploring unfamiliar territories.  They can help make sure a trip accomplishes desired outcomes while making sure travelers avoid places where calamitous outcomes are more likely.  While they cannot directly prevent spoiled vacations, they help improve the odds that one will be enjoyed.