Market Insights

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  • Economics

    Just How Bad Is It?

    Jul 31, 2020

    We finally received the first estimate of second-quarter GDP this week, along with a bunch of other data.  Though the figure wasn't quite as bad as the consens…

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  • Economics

    Cognitive Dissonance

    Jul 24, 2020

    The S&P 500 continues to grind higher, and it is now just 3.5% away from the all-time high posted in February. As is usually the case with bull markets, go…

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  • Stock Market

    Vees, Checks, and Convergences

    Jul 16, 2020

    For the markets as a whole, the summer has been pretty good. In the last three weeks, the S&P 500, Dow, and NASDAQ indices have all seen gains of over 7%, …

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  • Economics

    A Massive Shock

    Jul 10, 2020

    For this week's Market Commentary, I am attaching an excerpt from the second quarter edition of The Farr View.  If you would like to read the full piece, pleas…

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  • Investment Strategy

    Banks Go On Defense

    Jul 1, 2020

    Steady growth in consumer spending is the key to a robust US economy, and right now the outlook doesn't look all that promising.  We discussed in our June 18 M…

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  • Investment Strategy

    The Nifty FAANGs

    Jun 25, 2020

    At the risk of sounding repetitive, I feel compelled to revisit a trend that has been remarkably consistent and powerful over the past several years.  A small …

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  • EconomicsStock Market

    Closing The Gap

    Jun 19, 2020

    It appears that the S&P 500 has settled into a trading range after making a run at its all-time high earlier this month.  The index currently sits about 8%…

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  • Monetary Policy

    Which Is the Boogeyman, Inflation or Deflation?

    Jun 11, 2020

    The moderate inflation we were experiencing prior to the COVID-19 outbreak has fallen off a cliff.  Yesterday we received word that the Consumer Price Index (C…

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  • Economics

    The Paradox of Thrift

    Jun 4, 2020

    We received some fairly stunning data out of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) last Friday.  The government agency reported that Personal Income rose at a …

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