Research & News
Daily Comment (May 16, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, and Thomas Wash [Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] | PDF Our Comment today opens with an update on the Russia-Ukraine war. Russian forces remain undermanned and largely stalled out, while Ukrainian forces are launching even more aggressive counterattacks. We next review a range of international and U.S. developments with the potential to… Read More »
Asset Allocation Bi-Weekly – The FOMC Speaks (May 16, 2022)
by the Asset Allocation Committee | PDF On May 4th, the FOMC announced its policy changes. The Fed moved its fed funds target by 50 bps, the fastest increase in 22 years; the last hike of this amount was in May 2000. In the press conference, Chair Powell scotched the notion of a greater than… Read More »
Daily Comment (May 13, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, and Thomas Wash [Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] | PDF Good morning! Today’s report begins with updates on stablecoin and the war in Ukraine. Next, we go over the latest U.S. economic and policy news, including a discussion about Fed Chair Powell’s Senate confirmation for a second term. We then review international… Read More »
Daily Comment (May 12, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, and Thomas Wash [Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] | PDF Good morning! Today, we begin with a discussion about yesterday’s CPI report. Next is an update on the Ukraine war. We then cover economic and policy news, focusing on cryptocurrencies. Last, we go over some international news and our coronavirus coverage. Inflation… Read More »
Weekly Energy Update (May 12, 2022)
by Bill O’Grady, Thomas Wash, and Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF Oil prices have been volatile over the past few days. A number of factors have been at play. However, the chart suggests a price range is developing between $100 to $110 per barrel. (Source: Barchart.com) Crude oil inventories unexpectedly rose 8.5 mb compared to… Read More »
Daily Comment (May 11, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, and Thomas Wash [Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] | PDF Our Comment begins with an update on the Russia-Ukraine war. We next review a range of international and U.S. developments with the potential to affect the financial markets today, including confirmation that the European Central Bank will hike its benchmark interest rate… Read More »
Daily Comment (May 10, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, and Thomas Wash [Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] | PDF Today’s Comment opens with an update on the Russia-Ukraine war. Russian forces remain bogged down in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance and their own poor planning, weak execution, low morale, and resource shortages. We next review a range of international and… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – Parsing the World’s New Geopolitical Blocs (May 9, 2022)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF For more than a decade, we at Confluence have been tracking and writing about the waning commitment of the U.S. to its role as global hegemon. We’ve shown how U.S. retrenchment and protectionism have helped erode globalization. Factors like deregulation, falling transportation costs, improved technology, and easing geopolitical tensions… Read More »