COVID Easing, Gasoline Rising Ride-hailing companies took a hit during the pandemic as people stayed home and practiced social distancing. At the same time, drivers dropped off their platforms. With those headwinds now easing, the sector faces new problems. The Russia-Ukraine war triggered spikes in oil prices, making it more [...]
50 is the New 25 On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced a 50 basis point increase in the Fed Funds Rate to a new target range of 0.75-1.0%. This was the first 50 basis point hike since 2000, and — although widely anticipated by markets — is [...]
Will Rising Prices Hammer Credit Cards? With inflation escalating and the Fed suggesting more rate hikes, some market observers wonder if Americans might put the brakes on spending, and how credit card companies will be impacted. As prices rise for everything from gas, groceries, and borrowing costs, many would-be shoppers [...]
The Rush on Rates Rising mortgage rates have made homeownership less affordable to some would-be buyers. Some people may assume this would lead to higher housing inventory, and therefore lower home prices. Yet, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, home prices continued to surge higher during the year’s first [...]
Antitrust Concerns Discount operator Spirit Airlines (SAVE) has rejected a proposal by JetBlue (JBLU) to acquire it. The airline’s board cited regulatory antitrust concerns they believe would ultimately doom the deal to fail, bringing along uncompensated risk to shareholders. The logic is that JetBlue’s acquisition would effectively eliminate the biggest [...]
Opportunity in Volatility Legendary investor Warren Buffett recently called the current stock market “a gambling parlor,” arguing there are several mispriced companies amid the recent volatility. After years of mostly sitting on the sidelines, he is beginning to spend some of the significant cash that Berkshire has built up. At [...]
Are you prepared for a power outage? Do you know what you would do if your wallet or identity was stolen? How about if there was a medical emergency, be it for yourself or a family member? With spring wrapping up, May is a great time to take stock of [...]
What’s Up With Gap? Yesterday was the deadline for deciding whether or not to go to college this fall, and for an increasing number of high school seniors the day came and went without much fanfare. That’s because so-called “gap years” are rising in popularity, with would-be college students putting [...]
US Online Sales in Decline While online shopping surged during the pandemic, many retailers are now seeing less traffic at their virtual stores. In March, online sales in the US fell 3.3% from the prior year, the first decline since 2013. Meanwhile, physical stores saw sales surge 11.2%. All merchants [...]
Economic Data Today the ISM manufacturing index for April is due, which broadly tracks activity within the manufacturing sector. While inflation and the disrupted supply chain continue to cause problems, the index for March came in higher than the previous reading. S&P Global’s final manufacturing PMI for April and the [...]
