Commodities Soar to Five Year Highs

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Friday, May 7, 2021 As talk of inflation continues to heat up, one asset class fueling the fire has been the commodities complex. In our one-year review of the market low, we noted how commodities had been some of the biggest winners during the market recovery. Well that trend hasn’t stopped yet, […]

May 7, 2021

April Jobs Data Disappoints Lofty Expectations

Friday, May 7, 2021 Economic Blog Posted by lplresearch Investors betting on a continued acceleration in U.S. payrolls in April following March’s impressive numbers received an unwelcome reminder of just how choppy the data can be month-to-month. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly employment report this morning, revealing that the domestic economy added […]

Measuring Inflation and the Fed’s Reaction to Higher Prices

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Inflation is one of the primary risks to bondholders. Rising consumer prices erodes the “real” value of principal and interest payments making them worth less. However, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) reaction to increasing consumer prices could be a risk to bond prices as well. We answer questions […]

May 11, 2021

Hot Inflation Data Jolts Investors

Economic Blog Posted by lplresearch Wednesday, May 12, 2021 For nearly a year, investors have had the late spring/early summer months circled on their calendars for a potential jump in inflation. Base effects from rolling off weak data a year ago held the promise of eye-popping year-over-year numbers, and an economy that would be increasingly reopening […]

May 12, 2021

Door is Open For Developed International Stocks

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Thursday, May 13, 2021 We’ve warmed up to developed international stocks recently for several reasons. For one, the U.S. stock market has staged a tremendous rally—this week notwithstanding—since last March which has prompted us and others to start looking for other opportunities that aren’t pricing in so much optimism. Valuations, though […]

May 13, 2021

5 Charts We Are Watching and What It Is Like To Go on CNBC

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Friday, May 14, 2021 So what is it like to go on CNBC? We’ll show that later, but in the meantime, here are a few charts that caught our attention recently. Last week’s monthly nonfarm payroll was disappointing, but it usually takes a long time for jobs to come back after […]

May 14, 2021

What Is “Tapering” and Why Is It Important?

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Tuesday, May 18, 2021 After the April consumer price index (CPI) release that surprised to the upside, indicating consumer prices in some areas of the economy are increasing at a faster pace than many expected, the discussion has shifted to the need for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to potentially normalize monetary […]

May 18, 2021

Global Rebound Continues but Remains Uneven

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Thursday, May 20, 2021 The global economy continues to pick up speed as vaccine distribution gradually allows many countries to lift restrictions. The recovery, however, remains uneven, as some regions still struggle to contain the pandemic in the face of limited vaccine supply. But even for struggling regions, a rise in […]

May 20, 2021

Leading Indicators Steady Some Fragile Nerves

Economic Blog  Posted by lplresearch Friday, May 21, 2021 After some shaky economic data releases in recent weeks, most notably the latest employment report, investors had turned their eyes towards Thursday’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) report for confirmation that strong underlying economic trends are still intact. Indeed, investors received the news they were hoping to, as […]

May 21, 2021

The Relationship Between Treasury Yields and Mortgage Rates

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Tuesday, May 25, 2021 Mortgage rates are still around all-time lows but they may be headed higher. The 30-year national average mortgage rate hit an all-time low of 2.82% back in February, but with the U.S. economic recovery in full swing, mortgage rates have started to move higher. The Bankrate 30-year […]

May 25, 2021