It’s hard to believe, but the first quarter of 2017 is nearly in the books. And so far the market has continued its torrid pace. In fact, ever since the November election, the investing landscape has gone through a dramatic change of expectations with respect to economic growth, market valuations and inflation. And those expectations seem to be coming to fruition… #-ad_banner-#On March 10, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released employment data. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 235,000 in February, and the unemployment rate remained about the same at 4.7%. The consumer price index, which measures inflation, came… Read More
It’s hard to believe, but the first quarter of 2017 is nearly in the books. And so far the market has continued its torrid pace. In fact, ever since the November election, the investing landscape has gone through a dramatic change of expectations with respect to economic growth, market valuations and inflation. And those expectations seem to be coming to fruition… #-ad_banner-#On March 10, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released employment data. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 235,000 in February, and the unemployment rate remained about the same at 4.7%. The consumer price index, which measures inflation, came in at 2.74% last month, compared with 1.02% in February 2016. And residential housing starts jumped 6.2% in February over the same time last year. All these economic factors gave the Federal Reserve the green light to tighten the money supply by bumping interest rates up 25 basis points on March 15. Right now everything seems to be firing on all cylinders. Consumer confidence is at the highest level it’s been in 17 years. Unemployment is low, inflation is on target, housing is continuing to recover and the stock market is reaching new highs. As I’ve said many times before,… Read More