"Presents for the children wrapped in red and green
All the things I've heard about but never really seen
No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas eve
Hoping Santa's on his way..."
Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa is on the way to Moo!
Every year, we receive hundreds of wishes from mooers all over the globe about how we can improve in the coming year. Santa Moo reads every single one of them and strives to turn as many of them into reality as possibl...

- According to the Fed’s Beige Book published last Wednesday, activity has decelerated, and outlook for the next 6-12 months has worsened. This suggests existing rates are sufficient in clamping down on inflation.
- Last Thursday, PCE Core Deflator softened, falling to 0.2% MoM (3.5% YoY), bolstering confidence that rates are restrictive enough. Additionally, personal expenditures have slowed to 0.2% in October (vs 0.7% prior), signaling a deceleration i...

- Last week’s JOLTs job openings showed decline to 8733k from 9553k previously, while initial jobless claims rose to 220k for week ending Dec 2 from 219k the week before. Moving into the new year, Bloomberg analysts foresee firms to begin laying off workers rather than rely on attrition to manage headcount especially in customer-facing sectors. As such, unemployment is anticipated to rise next year and approach 5% by next year-end, which is historically ...

Follow me to stay informed and connected!
Let's talk about today's key CPI inflation data. This data initially disappointed the market, so how should we interpret it? And what impact will it have on the Fed tomorrow?
The data showed that in November, the US CPI increased by 0.1% month-on-month, slightly higher than the market expectation of 0%, and higher than the zero growth of the previous month. The annual inflation rate reached 3.1%, which was in ...

Investors have poured a record $1.4 trillion into money market funds in 2023 as they sought to earn roughly 5% of their cash.
That trend of pouring money into market funds may end as the Fed rate pauses before the probable next rate cut sometime next year.
The pause period is the time investors should own stocks.
S&P 500 has been shown to deliver the highest average annual return during the six months before the last hike, the pause peri...

Some day, the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions may once again be like watching paint dry. We're not there yet.
Interest Rate
Very few anticipate a change in the federal funds rate target range, currently at 5.25%-5.50%, after the Federal Open Market Committee's meeting on Wednesday. Investors await signals on when the Fed might initiate rate cuts, examining projections in the dot plot and Chair Jerome Powell'...

U.S. Stock Futures Inch Higher as Investors Brace for Fed Decision, Powell Comments
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 42 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.1% while Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.2%.
The central bank is widely anticipated to hold the benchmark overnight borrowing rate steady in the 5.25% to 5.5% range, but investors will also parse through Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s commentary for clues into how soon rate cuts...