A Tale of Three Spreads I’m not talking about a mezze platter. In this macro-obsessed environment, I want to take a moment to focus on some less headline-worthy market indicators that can be important guideposts. We talk about the spread between 2-year and 10-year Treasuries so often that I’m purposely [...]
New Home Construction Stalls When the market for housing gets hot, homebuilders typically get busy, motivated by visions of outsized profits. For those looking to buy, the prospect of more supply coming into the market provided hope that prices could stabilize or even fall. A recent report from the US [...]
Delinquencies Up Over the last few months, market observers have noted an uptick in late or missed payments and credit card delinquencies. Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) reported 1.4 million customers were late paying their bills last year — a greater than 50% increase from 2020. Both JPMorgan Chase (JPM) [...]
Here’s Geoffrey! Toys “R” Us closed all of its stores after filing for bankruptcy in 2018. The iconic toy store brand ultimately failed as a business after taking on a substantial amount of debt during a buyout that took the company private. Now the Toys “R” Us brand is making [...]
Distinguishing Characteristics Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video has failed to distinguish itself from other streaming platforms or evolve much over the years, but that’s about to change. The tech giant plans to introduce a new streamlined version for Android, streaming TV platforms, and gaming consoles over the next two weeks. The [...]
Worst Market in About 50 Years During the year’s first six months, the US stock market posted its worst returns since 1970. The broad market S&P 500 index has fallen about 20% in the first two quarters amid the Fed’s tightening monetary policy, prompted by the highest inflation in decades. [...]
Pivot as Share Price Plummets Snap Inc.’s (SNAP) Snapchat is an app launched in 2011 that historically has been popular with a younger audience. The app is characterized by its rapidly disappearing pictures and messages. For more than 10 years the platform was available only as a mobile app, and [...]
Smaller Portions Consumers who love to snack but don’t want to stray too far from their health goals are finding a solution in mini-sized versions of their favorite indulgences. For some, these products help with portion control by making it easier to resist having “just one more.” Also, reflecting a [...]
Economic Data The housing market is a major focus of this week’s economic calendar, with the National Association of Home Builders – Wells Fargo (WFC) home builders confidence index for July kicking things off today. June’s reading hit a two-year low as inflation and rising mortgage rates weighed on sentiment. [...]
There’s a good chance that your employees are clamoring for housing assistance benefits. The sharp rise in housing prices over the past decade and a lack of homes for sale have made it harder for homebuyers, especially first-time buyers, to achieve the ever more elusive American dream. Employees have responded [...]
