The departure of the United Arab Emirates from OPEC represents a notable challenge for the organization and raises questions about its long-term cohesion and influence. Operating as a cartel, OPEC has historically relied on…
OPEC is at a Crossroads
The Middle East war has created a significant challenge for OPEC and its ability to produce and market oil effectively on a global scale. Two notable OPEC members are Venezuela and Iran, both founding members when the..
Cryptocurrency Prices are Falling
Cryptocurrencies have tumbled sharply from their highs in the third quarter of 2025, with Bitcoin—the largest and most widely held digital asset—losing more than 45% of its value. Deleveraging has been the primary driver of…
How AI is Affecting the Economy
Artificial intelligence (AI) is fueling U.S. economic growth and market valuations while introducing risks tied to valuations, labor disruption, and energy demand. AI-related investment in software, semiconductor chips, data…
The Fed’s Rate Cut and the Mixed Signals Shaping the Economic Outlook
The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut rates in September was seen less as a response to cooling inflation and more as a preemptive move to counter a slowing economy. Investors regard Fed policy shifts as key signals of…
AI’s Growing Power Demand is Adding Pressure to Electricity Prices
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence across the economy is driving a surge in electricity demand. AI relies on vast server farms packed with high-speed semiconductor processors that require enormous amounts of…
Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging
Investing with regular frequency is a beneficial strategy for achieving favorable long-term outcomes in financial markets. Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) involves investing a fixed amount at regular intervals (e.g., monthly)…
Portfolio Management During Volatile Markets
Tariff announcements and projections are producing an outsize impact on equity prices, as investors try to predict how trade policy will play out over the next several months and years, and the effect on…
Industries Where Tariffs Could Hit Hardest
Smaller companies are likely to see a negative impact from new tariffs. The reliance on imported products by small companies throughout various industries has risen over the past few years. It is more difficult for…
Consumers Borrowing at Record Pace
U.S. outstanding consumer debt unexpectedly surged by the most on record in December 2024, reflecting massive increases in credit card balances and non-revolving credit. Total credit jumped $40.8 billion after…
Typical Homebuyers Are Getting Older
The age of a typical homebuyer in the U.S. jumped to an all-time high of 56 in 2024. Data released by the National Association of Realtors revealed that the share of first-time homebuyers fell to…
More Workers Think They'll Be Unemployed
The Federal Reserve has two primary objectives. The first is to ensure price stability, largely through monetary policy interventions. And the second is to maintain a healthy and robust labor market by…
Total U.S. Debt as % of GDP Projected to Surpass 100% By 2025
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that Federal debt held by the public, measured as a percentage of national GDP, will rise above 100% by 2025. Debt held by the public was…
China Is Exporting More & Making Cheap Products Cheaper
China is flooding global markets, including the U.S., with cheap exports across various industries. Chinese factories are producing far more goods than the domestic market can absorb, resulting in…
Faster Trade Settlement is Imminent
Your stock and bond trade settlement time is about to get much faster.
When an investor buys or sells publicly traded securities including stocks or corporate and municipal bonds, the price is locked in and contractually…
A Time for High-Yield Bonds
Now is the right time to consider an increased allocation to high-yield bonds.
An investment portfolio is typically constructed as a combination of equities and fixed income securities, allocated as appropriate given…
Put the Right Assets in Your Tax Shelter
Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) can offer exceptional tax shelter benefits for long-term investment assets. The pre-tax (traditional) and post-tax (Roth) accounts both allow investments to grow…
Even with Bitcoin's Price Jump, Know the Risks
Cryptocurrencies have recently seen a broad resurgence in price, as Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) hit the market in mid-January and traders placed bullish bets that demand would outpace supply. Amid a backdrop of…
Growth and Stability With Mid-Cap Stocks
The headline number for stock performance revolves around the S&P 500 Index, which represents 500 of the largest U.S. publicly traded companies. This can be a useful large-cap stock index for investment…
Increased Contribution Limits for IRAs and 401(k)s
Investment accounts like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s provide an exceptional opportunity for investors to save and build wealth. These tax-advantaged investment vehicles offer both…