@theMarket: Big-Cap Tech Earnings Bolster MarketsBy Bill Schmick,
04:31PM / Friday, July 28, 2023 | |
Corporate earnings results for Google and Meta helped push the averages higher this week, while Microsoft results were somewhat disappointing. The net result was higher stock prices for many sectors of the markets.
The most interesting change that I perceived in the overall markets this week was the FOMC's lack of impact on financial markets. Over the past year, these monthly two-day Fed events were market-moving. Investors parsed every word of every sentence in the meeting notes and spent hours and even days interpreting every answer that Chair Jay Powell uttered in the Q&A session.
This week, the Fed raised Fed fund rates yet again to a 22-year 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Airlines Struggle With Pilot ShortageBy Bill Schmick,
05:44PM / Thursday, July 27, 2023 | |
Between the weather, shortage of planes, computer snafus, and pre-pandemic levels of customers, air travelers face a gauntlet of travel delays. A lack of pilots and air traffic controllers is adding to the high level of aggravation during this summer season.
The pilot shortage has been building in the aviation industry for several years. It is not confined to the U.S. Global air travel has surged in the post-pandemic era as emerging economies grow and more people can afford air travel. Airlines have expanded their fleets while extending and adding new routes to capture this spike in business.
This has led to increased demand for airline pilots just as a 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Slowing Inflation Inflates StocksBy Bill Schmick,
05:27PM / Friday, July 21, 2023 | |
It appears the Federal Reserve Bank's long battle against inflation is showing some progress. This week, two key inflation measures indicated inflation rose at its slowest pace since March 2021. Investors celebrated the news.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June rose a mere 0.2 percent and only 3 percent over the prior year. Both measures were a bit better than economists were forecasting. If you strip out food and gas prices, the core CPI climbed 0.2 percent month over month and 4.8 percent over last year; again, slightly better than expectations. The Producer Price Index (PPI) also saw some encouraging news. June's wholesale prices followed the CPI data lower. 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Cargo Theft Is Bain of Business in AmericaBy Bill Schmick,
04:25PM / Thursday, July 20, 2023 | |
Retail theft in general is a growing problem in the United States and organized crime has long considered that cargo is its most lucrative target. Crooks have used everything from road pirates to sophisticated computer hacking to rake in billions of dollars and that number is increasing each year.
Possibly the fastest-growing segment of theft in the U.S. is related to cargo. The commercial shipment of freight moving by railroad car, truck, and aircraft, as well as storage, warehouses, distribution, and consolidation facilities, is the red meat for cargo pirates.
It is a large industry that accounts for anywhere between $15 to $35 billion in thefts per year. 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Labor Markets Rock StocksBy Bill Schmick,
04:12PM / Friday, July 07, 2023 | |
The July 4th shortened week was one where volatility claimed the markets. Interest rates and the dollar rose, sending stocks lower. The job data was the culprit.
The media blamed the setback on higher interest rates, as Fed heads cluttered the airways with warnings that the pause is over and higher interest should be expected by financial markets. The point hit home when the most recent data on job growth indicated further strength. On Thursday, the payroll processing firm, ADP, reported 497,000 jobs added in June; the most in over a year. At this point, there are more than 50 percent more job openings than people unemployed.
The latest reading on the Supply 0 Comments
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