An end-of-summer consumer bum-out

Care for a glass of Chianti or Bordeaux after recent market volatility? It’ll cost ya. After a tense few weeks, President Donald Trump announced a 20% tariff on all EU goods, including wine. While you might think that U.S. producers would be cheering, domestic wineries and wine s ...  Show more

Overseas stock markets and U.S. stock index futures are showing an upward move in prices today, and volatility is down in sharp contrast to yesterday morning. Yesterday’s rollercoaster ride resulted from false information about a potential tariff pause. Some $2.5 trillion went in ...  Show more

Stocks fall; sales are still up from a year ago; FTC, several states sue Amazon over unfair trade practices; consumer confidence falls in September 

Stocks fall; rent and gasoline push up consumer prices; Social Security benefits to rise by less than last year; new jobless claims unchanged from prior week. 

In the last week, we’ve seen some solid labor and retail data. Unemployment is low, job availability is high and consumers are spending more than they did last year. But in an economy that’s hyperfocused on tamping down inflation, what’s good for workers might not be good for pri ...  Show more