By Tom Burnett. CFA On May 7, 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its April Employment Report. Job growth came in at 266,000, well below expectations. In addition, the March increase of 916,000 was revised down to 770,000. Combined with an increased revision for February, the February-March…
By Tom Burnett CFA As investors sift through the early 2021 first quarter earnings reports, the positive momentum off the dismal 2020 results remains the prominent trend. According to the FACTSET report for April 30, 2021, analysts are continuing to raise their S/P 500 Index earnings forecasts for this…
By Tom Burnett CFA On April 28, 2021, the Federal Reserve announced that its Open Market Committee decided to leave its current policies unchanged. The range for the Fed Funds rate will remain 0-.25%. The Fed’s goals are full employment and inflation rates in the 2% area. If inflation overshoots, the…
By Tom Burnett CFA In its April 16, 2021 report, FACTSET reflects the growing analyst consensus for strong earnings growth in 2021 and 2022. Looking at the S/P 500 Index, in particular, the forecast is for growth of 27% in 2021 and another 14% in 2022. The Index earnings for 2020 suffered from…
By Tom Burnett CFA In the midst of record high prices in the S/P 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, there is a severe correction occurring among high-profile names whose stocks have sold off sharply from their 52-week high prices. We document some of the price collapses below: Stock …