brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The conflict in Iran remained the primary market driver last week, with sentiment shaped by comments suggesting the U.S. may reduce its involvement in the region even as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. As the war enters its sixth week, markets continue […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The Iran war remained the primary focus for markets last week as strikes continued and there have been no publicly announced signs from both parties that a resolution is near. As the conflict looks to enter its fifth week, investors continue to assess […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Headline Producer Price Index (PPI) came in above expectations, rising 0.7% month over month and 3.4% year-over-year (YoY), indicating stronger-than-anticipated producer price pressures. Core PPI, which excludes food and energy prices, was modestly softer on a month-over-month (MoM) basis but still came in […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Existing home sales rose 1.7% in February to a 4.09M annualized pace, with the median home price up 0.3% year-over-year (YoY) to $398,000 and inventory increasing 4.9% YoY to 1.29M homes as affordability improved. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.3% month-over-month (MoM) […]

ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The ISM Manufacturing Index declined to 52.4 in February but exceeded consensus expectations (51.5) for the second month in a row. (Levels above 50 signal expansion; levels below 50 signal contraction.) Growth broadened with 12 out of 18 major manufacturing categories reporting growth (vs. 9 in January), but the major measures of activity […]

ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Over the weekend, after weeks of military buildup and failed diplomatic talks, the United States and Israel launched coordinated air strikes across Iran, targeting nuclear and military infrastructure, prompting swift Iranian retaliation across the region and sharply escalating the risk of a broader Middle East conflict.2 The Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.5% […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 Last week the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were not valid. The Court did not address the issue of refunds. It is estimated that these tariffs have raised between […]

brought to you by Philip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 A brief government shutdown delayed the release of certain labor market–related economic data, which is now expected to be released one week later. The ISM Manufacturing PMI, a measure of manufacturing activity, came in stronger than expected at 52.6. A number above 50 […]

brought to you by Phillip Blancato, Osaic's Chief Market Strategist ECONOMIC REVIEW1 The Federal Reserve (Fed) decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3.50-3.75% at the first meeting of 2026. Stronger fundamentals showing meaningfully improved economic growth, stabilizing unemployment, and “somewhat elevated” inflation. Separately, President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh as […]