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@theMarket: Sticky Inflation Slows Market Advance
By Bill Schmick,
05:21PM / Friday, March 15, 2024
February inflation data showed no progress on inflation. That follows the same kind of readings from the previous month. While two months does not make a trend, the disappointing numbers gave investors pause.   Both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and its cousin, The Producer Price Index (PPI), came in warmer than economists had expected. Consumer prices rose 3.2 percent in February from a year earlier but were only slightly higher than economists' expectations of 3.1 percent. The PPI rose 1.6 percent year-over-year, which was the largest gain since last September. Month-over-month, the PPI at +0.6 percent was double the average forecast.   These data points

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The Retired Investor: Eating Out Not What It Used to Be
By Bill Schmick,
04:50PM / Thursday, March 14, 2024
Many Americans are getting a bad case of sticker shock when their check arrives at their favorite restaurants. Higher costs for labor, food, and a variety of other inputs are conspiring to make dining out a luxury item that fewer can afford.   Lest you think that these sky-high prices are confined to the white tablecloth crowd, guess again. I'm talking about everywhere. Prices in fast food chains, your neighborhood bar and grill, the home-style diner on the corner, and even your local Chinese takeout joint are jacking up prices.   By the beginning of this year, the costs of eating out rose more than 30 percent since 2019, according to the Labor Department. I

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@theMarket: Markets March to New Highs (Again)
By Bill Schmick,
02:15PM / Friday, March 08, 2024
At this point, a day without a new high seems almost abnormal. AI stocks rage higher, joined by weight loss companies like Lilly. The good news keeps rolling in with even Chairman Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve Bank seemingly more dovish.    The Fed chairman testified before both the House and Senate this week. He indicated that we could expect a couple of interest rate cuts this year if the inflation data continues to weaken. He also said that if it does, the Fed won't wait until inflation hits its 2 percent target before loosening monetary policy.   The economy continues to grow, and while there is some evidence that labor growth is moderating

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The Retired Investor: Companies Dropping Degree Requirements
By Bill Schmick,
04:31PM / Thursday, March 07, 2024
In today's tight job market, many companies are dropping the required college degree   Time was that if you wanted to get ahead, find a higher-paying job, and establish financial security go to college. While some of that advice continues to hold, many companies are foregoing the sheepskin in exchange for experience, skills, and competencies workers have developed in the school of hard knocks.   In some respects, the hurtle of a college degree makes no sense when interviewing for a job that does not require college-level skills. I know of dozens of liberal arts majors who ended up working at fast food chains or landscaping.   But don't take

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@theMarket: Tech Takes Break as Other Sectors Play Catch-up
By Bill Schmick,
04:46PM / Friday, March 01, 2024
One of the main complaints of market watchers has been the narrow breadth of the stock market. Few areas, besides the handful of tech stocks, have participated in the bull market this year. That has changed.   Biotech, crypto, financials, industrials, and even the staid healthcare sector have come to life this week. The Russell 2000 small-cap index outperformed as well. In the meantime, the Mag 7 and AI 5 marked time.   As I warned readers last week, I thought stocks were due for a little consolidation as traders took profits on some of the large gains accrued over the last two months. The fact that large-cap tech sold off and the markets barely budged was

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