brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The ISM Non-Manufacturing (or Services) Index declined to 50.1 in July, lagging both the consensus expectation of 51.5 and the previous month’s reading of 50.8. July’s figure trailed even the most pessimistic forecast from any economics group surveyed by Bloomberg. (Levels above 50 […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 U.S. job openings in June declined by 275,000 to 7.437 million, missing expectations, with notable drops in accommodation, healthcare, and finance, partially offset by gains in retail, information, and education. Hiring and separation activity remained stable, with quits and layoffs essentially unchanged. The […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Existing home sales fell by 2.7% in June, falling below the consensus expectations to an annualized rate of 3.93 million. Sales hit a nine-month low as the median home price for existing homes rose 2% year-over-year (YoY), and high mortgage rates make current […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed prices increased, but were below expectations. Tariffs may have contributed slightly to the rise, but expectations of a broad-based increase in goods prices because of the trade policy were once again not seen in the report. CPI […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 June’s NFIB Small Business Optimism Index edged down 0.2 points to 98.6, missing the 98.7 forecast and slipping from May's 98.8 reading. It remains near the 51-year average of 98. Rising inventory concerns and weaker sales expectations weighed on sentiment, while 19% of […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The monthly labor report was released on Thursday, a day early in front of the holiday, and pointed towards strength in the job market. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 147,000, which was well above consensus expectations, and in-line with the historic average. Initial jobless […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index in June fell below expectations of 99.5 to a reading of 93. The new report showed that consumers continue to feel nervous about potential impacts from tariffs on the job market and business conditions. The final estimate […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 U.S. retail sales fell 0.9% in May, missing the consensus estimate of -0.6%, marking the second consecutive monthly drop and the steepest decline since January. Core (Control Group) sales, excluding autos, gas, food service, and building materials, rose 0.4%, slightly above expectations of […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist HEADLINES: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT After Israel struck nuclear facilities and military leadership in Iran, the two Middle Eastern countries exchanged barrages of missiles over the weekend. This followed a stalemate in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program. After multiple days of […]