Education, Articles and Videos
Please choose any of the following articles below that interest you. Each article is listed under the month it was written. Articles written in prior months may still have educational interest.
Producer Prices Heading Lower, What It Means – Producer Inflation
The Producer Price Index (PPI) measures the selling prices domestic companies receive when purchasing everything from raw materials to products themselves. Similar to how the...
New Mortgage Rules To Accommodate Lower Credit Scores
New mortgage rules are attempting to make homes more accessible to homebuyers with low credit scores by lowering the fees for low-credit buyers while, in...
Housing Market Is Among The Least Affordable In U.S. History
Measured by the Housing Affordability Index, the affordability of homes has been steadily eroding since early 2021. Factors affecting affordability include home prices, mortgage rates,...
Consumer Rates Remain Elevated – Fixed Income Overview
Interest rates experienced some volatility in August due to uncertainty surrounding inflationary pressures and intended Fed policy. Elevated rates on consumer loans such as credit...
Inflation In Europe Calms – International Economic Focus
Demand for products and services can vary from country to country as consumers have different choices on what they purchase. Supply constraints, transportation costs, and...
Pullback In August Affects Equity Indexes
Domestic stocks experienced a retraction in August as future earnings came into focus along with lingering inflationary pressures on company expenses. The S&P 500 fell...
Delinquency Rates On The Rise – Consumer Finance
A survey released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that overall credit and lending activity is deteriorating nationwide. The survey encompasses loan activity...
Macro Economic Overview / September 2023
Congress is spending the bulk of September deliberating over the Federal Budget for fiscal year 2024 as a looming deadline on September 30th approaches. Should...
Market Indexes
September 2023 (all values as of 08.31.2023) Stock Indexes: Dow Jones 34,721 S&P 500 4,507 Nasdaq 14,034 Bond Sector Yields: 2 Yr Treasury 4.85% 10...
Inflation Slows to a Two-Year Low – Inflation Trends
Inflation measured at 3% in June, a two-year low not seen since March 2021. Inflation peaked at a four-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022,...