Inflation is NOT Out of Control but Why does the FED Continue to Raise Rates?

The Consumer Price Index for July 2017 came out on Friday with a modest 0.1% tick upward. This comes to a year-to-year basis of 1.7% which is still below the Federal Reserves 2.0% target rate. Of course, the Federal Reserve does not use the CPI to track inflation. They use the Price Consumption Expenditures (PCE) …

The Durable Goods Report is In!

The Department of Commerce released their February report of durable good orders today and it looks like we are heading in the right direction. First, lets explain "durable goods." Durable goods are goods that are meant to last three or more years and do not have to be purchased on a regular basis. This means that …

Chicago Fed National Activity Index. What is it and how important is it?

Lets try to make this nice and simple. I'll be honest. I have been following economic indicators since my college days and for some unknown reason, I have not come across this indicator. This is no ordinary economic indicator either. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) is released monthly and is the weighted average of …

The Fed Has Spoken. The Rate Goes Up

The Federal Open Market Committee ended its two day meeting today and has decided to increase the Federal Funds Rate to 0.75% form 0.50%. A relatively small change but still on track for what the Federal Reserve wants for their long term goal. Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve, also mentioned three more possible rate …

Rate Up Tick Likely? Federal Open Market Committee Meeting Begins Today

In December of 2016, the Federal Reserve raised the Federal Funds Rate rate by 0.25% for the first time in over a year, which is still a historic low, to a rate of 0.50%. The Federal Funds Rate is the interest rate banks at which banks charge each other when giving overnight loans to one another. Banks …