Merriman Market Analyst
Free Weekly Forecast
MMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING NOVEMBER 20, 2023 ©
November 17, 2023
NOTE: U.S. markets will be closed Thursday, November 23, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. REVIEW The U.S. economy is approaching what most economists had thought either unlikely or impossible: inflation returning to its prepandemic norm without a recession or even much economic weakness, a so-called soft landing. Six months...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING NOVEMBER 13, 2023 ©
November 10, 2023
REVIEW Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he and his colleagues remain steadfast in getting policy in line with their 2% inflation goal, but “we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance.” – Jeff Cox, “Powell Says Fed is ‘Not Confident’ It Has Done Enough to Bring Inflation...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING NOVEMBER 6, 2023 ©
November 3, 2023
REVIEW Bad news about the labor market is good news for stocks today. All three major U.S. indexes climbed Friday, helping them to their best weeks of the year. One reason: The latest jobs report showed hiring slowed. The U.S. added 150,000 jobs in October, below economists’ projections, while the...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 30, 2023 ©
October 27, 2023
REVIEW Dollars to defeat Russian and Iranian aggression are necessary. Yet with $33 trillion in debt, there is no room for both guns and butter. – Kimberly Strassel, “Biden’s Supplemental War Games,” Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2024. If you are a subscriber to MMA’s daily, weekly, or monthly reports,...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 23, 2023 ©
October 20, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested the run-up in long-term Treasury yields could allow the central bank to suspend a historic run of interest-rate increases so long as recent progress on inflation continues. That is in part because the swift rise in long-term rates...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 16, 2023 ©
October 13, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW “Oil, U.S. Treasuries, and gold prices rose on Friday, with crude soaring nearly 6%, on safe-haven buying driven by the escalating Middle East conflict as Israel urged civilians to leave the northern Gaza Strip. – Caroline Valetkevitch, “Oil, Treasuries, Gold Prices Jump Amid Mideast...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 9, 2023 ©
October 6, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW Stocks rallied Friday even after the release of stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data and a pop in Treasury yields. The U.S. economy added 336,000 jobs in September, the Labor Department said. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected 170,000 jobs. Stocks posted a stunning turnaround on...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 2, 2023 ©
September 29, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated on Friday as investors followed the latest news about a potential government shutdown and ended what has been a tough month for stocks. – Alex Harring, Sarah Min, and Pia Singh, “S&P 500 and Nasdaq Wrap Worst Month...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ©
September 22, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW AND PREVIEW On Wednesday, Federal Reserve officials surprised markets by signaling interest rates won’t fall as much as previously planned. The tweak might be more important than it looks. In their projections and commentary, some officials hint that rates might be higher not just...
Read MoreMMA FREE WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 ©
September 15, 2023
Listen on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Watch on YouTube REVIEW AND PREVIEW The United Auto Workers officially went on strike against the “Big Three” Detroit automakers early Friday, potentially imperiling an already-fragile U.S. economy. An extended work stoppage risks causing billions in damage to the economy…. Still, the strikes are limited in scope so...
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