According to the consumer research firm Nielsen, U.S. sales of mints are down 30% YoY at stores with gum following closely behind down 28%. Don’t worry, there isn’t concern of a wide spread pandemic of bad breath, though, as toothpaste and mouth wash sales are up ~12% in the same […]

“Asset prices remain vulnerable to significant declines should the pandemic worsen, the economic fallout prove more adverse, or financial system strains re-emerge”-Federal Reserve Bi-Annual Financial Stability Report The S&P500 is down 1% in early trading this morning as vaccine experts raised caution yesterday about too much public optimism over the […]

It’s beginning to feel like 2018 again. Investors are getting spooked with escalating tensions between the United States and China. The Trump Administration is putting public pressure on the FED to lower interest rates. Central banks are urging governments to tap their fiscal policymaking powers as interest rates approach negative […]

Ahead of the Friday release of April’s Jobs report, with markets expecting to see a drop of 22 million jobs, several Federal Reserve speakers have been taking the podium this week to share their wisdom on our economic outlook as a country. Some participants in America’s interest rate setting body […]

In the current version of normal, almost all meetings have become virtual. The Federal Reserve’s regular assembly of the Federal Open Market Committee is no exception to this phenomenon. Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his fellow interest rate gurus will conclude their April meeting via videoconference today and Chair Powell […]

Looking for a new hobby during this shelter in place? Some people are baking banana bread and playing barista, but why not try oil storage? Have some extra space in the garage or a few rain barrels you don’t need? With oil futures plummeting to an all-time low yesterday, they […]

“We are now seeing the true effects of the coronavirus on the housing industry,” said Bill Banfield, Quicken Loans executive vice president of capital markets. “Despite the fact that construction can continue during shelter-in-place orders, home buying demand has plummeted and builders are seeing materially lower foot traffic.” Yesterday, markets watched U.S. […]

“You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.” – Yogi Berra With projections coming out of the International Monetary Fund indicating that global GDP output is set to decrease by 3% in 2020 (marking the steepest drop in the metric […]

“The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” – Harvey Dent Over the last week or so, the United States has been bracing for the worst of the coronavirus outbreak as Trump administration officials and Governors across the country warn people to […]

As the world continues its battle with coronavirus and the uncertainty that lies ahead, there are lights beginning to flicker at the end of the tunnel. If you’ve taken any of your social distance to focus on sharpening your economics knowledge, you’ve probably read about how the economic shock caused […]