Friday

Political turbulence has become the new normal, yet economic markets are learning to live with the chaos.

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

Housing affordability in America is right around all-time lows.  The percent of median income needed to buy a median-priced home now far exceeding traditional affordability benchmarks.  According to this article

The calendar has turned, and we find ourselves on the backside of Labor Day.  Halloween, however, is nearly two months away.  America finds itself in a sort of doldrums.  Summer is unofficially over, yet the holiday season has not arrived.  Many Americans resort to Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) as a way of taking the edge off of this uneventful period.  If that’s you

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

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

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

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 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.