Merriman Market Analyst
November 24, 2023
REVIEW The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Friday, as the major averages notched a four-week winning streak. The moves come as Treasury yields this week hit multi-month lows on hope inflation is cooling and the Federal Reserve may be done raising rates. The benchmark rate was up 6 basis...
Read MoreNovember 17, 2023
NOTE: U.S. markets will be closed Thursday, November 23, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. REVIEW The U.S. economy is approaching what most economists had thought either unlikely or impossible: inflation returning to its prepandemic norm without a recession or even much economic weakness, a so-called soft landing. Six months...
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
REVIEW Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he and his colleagues remain steadfast in getting policy in line with their 2% inflation goal, but “we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance.” – Jeff Cox, “Powell Says Fed is ‘Not Confident’ It Has Done Enough to Bring Inflation...
Read MoreNovember 3, 2023
REVIEW Bad news about the labor market is good news for stocks today. All three major U.S. indexes climbed Friday, helping them to their best weeks of the year. One reason: The latest jobs report showed hiring slowed. The U.S. added 150,000 jobs in October, below economists’ projections, while the...
Read MoreOctober 27, 2023
REVIEW Dollars to defeat Russian and Iranian aggression are necessary. Yet with $33 trillion in debt, there is no room for both guns and butter. – Kimberly Strassel, “Biden’s Supplemental War Games,” Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2024. If you are a subscriber to MMA’s daily, weekly, or monthly reports,...
Read MoreOctober 20, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested the run-up in long-term Treasury yields could allow the central bank to suspend a historic run of interest-rate increases so long as recent progress on inflation continues. That is in part because the swift rise in long-term rates...
Read MoreOctober 13, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW “Oil, U.S. Treasuries, and gold prices rose on Friday, with crude soaring nearly 6%, on safe-haven buying driven by the escalating Middle East conflict as Israel urged civilians to leave the northern Gaza Strip. – Caroline Valetkevitch, “Oil, Treasuries, Gold Prices Jump Amid Mideast...
Read MoreOctober 6, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW Stocks rallied Friday even after the release of stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data and a pop in Treasury yields. The U.S. economy added 336,000 jobs in September, the Labor Department said. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected 170,000 jobs. Stocks posted a stunning turnaround on...
Read MoreSeptember 29, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated on Friday as investors followed the latest news about a potential government shutdown and ended what has been a tough month for stocks. – Alex Harring, Sarah Min, and Pia Singh, “S&P 500 and Nasdaq Wrap Worst Month...
Read MoreSeptember 22, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW AND PREVIEW On Wednesday, Federal Reserve officials surprised markets by signaling interest rates won’t fall as much as previously planned. The tweak might be more important than it looks. In their projections and commentary, some officials hint that rates might be higher not just...
Read MoreNotifications