Insights & Understanding

What's happening this week? The coronavirus spread, so concerns about the virus and measures to prevent its spread will likely reduce economic activity.

In a week in which impeachment news produced the top headlines, markets reacted more to news about a virus in central China. A coronavirus apparently...

Optimism from continued progress on trade pushed the S&P 500 to new highs last week. The United States and China signed a “phase one” deal that included...

The U.S. employment report missed expectations, but it reinforced our view the U.S. labor market remains strong. As shown in the accompanying chart...

The new year and decade started off where the last one finished as major stock market indexes opened the year by reaching new highs. The good spirits, supported by...

Stock markets continued to march steadily higher last week. News was relatively light, but momentum and reduced uncertainty helped push the markets toward...

Stock markets rallied sharply last week as uncertainty continued to fade. U.S. trade negotiators were able to secure approval of the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement)...

Three key policy issues achieved greater clarity last week. The United States and China reached a “phase one” trade deal. The United States will reduce some existing tariffs...

A powerful jobs report in the United States produced continued evidence the U.S. economy is performing well and the risk of recession is lower. As discussed in...

Trade negotiators remained primarily responsible for the market yo-yoing up and down in a tight range. Last week, the United States and China both shared positive...