By Tom Burnett CFA On March 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) announced that it has decided to raise the target Fed Funds rate by 0.25% to a range of 0.25% to 0.50%. The increase is the first hike since 2018. The Fed vote was not unanimous, however, since Governor Bullard voted for an increase…
By Tom Burnett CFA On March 15, 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Producer Price Index data for February. The Index for Final Demand rose by 0.8% in February, down from a rise of 1.2% in January. The year-over-year increase was 10.0%, identical to the 12-month increase in January. In…
By Tom Burnett CFA On March 10, 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the Consumer Price Index data for the month of February. The All Items Index rose by 0.8% in the month, after an increase of 0.6% for January. The increase for the 12 months ending in February was 7.9%, the highest 12-month.…
By Tom Burnett CFA On March 4, 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the employment report for February 2022. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 678,000 in February and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 3.8%. The number of unemployed workers is now 6.3 million, edging down to the…
By Tom Burnett CFA Through the first two months of 2022, the commodities sector is the only positive performer among the three major asset categories—stocks, bonds, commodities. Looking at data from the WSJ.com website for March 2, 2022, the evidence is clear and compelling. The Bloomberg Commodity…