QuickTakes

The most concise analysis of the key variables driving the global economy and financial markets.

Short-form takes on current market events.

Economy Still Moving Forward

The government shutdown continues to shut off the supply of many economic indicators. Tomorrow’s CPI inflation rate for September is an exception. It is widely expected to remain stuck at 3.0% on a y/y basis. Based on a few

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Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

A few weeks ago, we observed a bubble in fears of a bubble. The fearmongers see an “everything bubble” that will soon burst. The expression “the bubble in everything” began gaining traction during the tenure of Federal Reserve Chair

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China’s Economy Has A Few Major Problems

China’s economy is struggling with excessive debt, deflation, excess capacity, and a rapidly aging population. China continues to rely on exports to support economic growth. China has been increasingly accused of dumping its excess production in world markets. This

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Market Musings

Apple’s stock price hit a new record high today on a report that sales of this year’s iPhone models had started strongly. Shares of the tech giant climbed 3.9%, closing at $262.24 and helping the company surpass Microsoft to

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ECONOMIC WEEK AHEAD: October 20–24

We’re entering yet another week of limited visibility on the economy thanks to the government shutdown. This leaves markets attempting to fill the statistical void with private surveys, comments from Federal Reserve officials, and the odd corporate report to

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Cockroaches

“When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said on the company’s earnings conference call earlier this week in relation to the First Brands and Tricolor Holdings fallout. These are two auto-related companies that have recently declared bankruptcy.

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ECONOMIC WEEK AHEAD: October 13–17

As the latest episode of the “Trump versus Xi” series airs this week, it’s perhaps fitting that the shuttered US government won’t be releasing most key data for September. What happened last month, after all, may matter little if the two biggest economies

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Sweet Spot For Financials

Today, Oracle disclosed that its AI cloud business—particularly server rentals using Nvidia chips—is yielding very slim profit margins. That news weighed on the stock market, especially on technology stocks. Oracle’s stock price fell 2.5%. The Magnificent-7 declined 1.1%. Financial

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Another Day Of AI Fun In The Sun For Semis

Semiconductor stocks have certainly benefited from the AI boom. All those data centers being built will be filled with chips (chart). All those autonomous-driving vehicles will also be stuffed with chips, and so will humanoid robots. And they will

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GOOD MARKET CALL: Gold

From time to time, we will review and update some of our good market calls. We hope this provides a helpful perspective on our approach to market forecasting. Today, let’s review and update our thoughts on the outlook for gold: (1) We first

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ECONOMIC WEEK AHEAD: October 6–10

This is a quiet week for key economic data releases, but it is even quieter due to the ongoing government shutdown. For financial markets, this informational void is equivalent to flying blind. That also applies to Fed officials who

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