{"id":2185,"date":"2024-04-01T14:03:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T18:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellspringwealth.com\/?p=2185"},"modified":"2024-04-01T14:04:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T18:04:39","slug":"weekly-market-commentary-what-do-dieters-have-in-common-with-the-federal-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellspringwealth.com\/2024\/04\/01\/weekly-market-commentary-what-do-dieters-have-in-common-with-the-federal-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Market Commentary \u2013 What do dieters have in common with the Federal Reserve?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Markets<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What do dieters have in common with the Federal Reserve?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever dieted, you may be familiar with the weight-loss plateau. Many people experience steady progress. The bathroom scale moves lower week by week \u2013 until it doesn\u2019t \u2013 and that can be discouraging.<\/p>\n The Federal Reserve has been trying to reduce inflation, and it has had significant success. Its actions are credited with bringing headline inflation from a peak of 9.1 percent in June 2022 to 3.2 percent in February 2024, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.<\/p>\n Looking back over the last few months, it seems as though inflation hit a plateau (and, perhaps, indulged in a bit of holiday excess).<\/p>\n September 2023:\u00a0 \u00a03.7 percent However, the Fed is not discouraged.<\/p>\n After inflation data was released last week, Chair Jerome Powell to comment, \u201cThe report that came out this morning is pretty much in-line with our expectations. Our hand is a steady hand in this. We\u2019ve been saying all through last year and this year, we\u2019re making progress\u2026The economy is strong. We see very strong growth\u2026That means we that don\u2019t need to be in a hurry to cut [rates]. It means we can wait and become more confident that, in fact, inflation is coming down to two percent on a sustainable basis.\u201d<\/p>\n United States stock markets were unfazed by the inflation news and delivered a stellar performance for the first quarter. The Standard & Poor\u2019s 500 Index experienced 22 record closes during the first three months of the year, reported Teresa Rivas of Barron\u2019s<\/em>.<\/p>\n Major U.S. stock indices finished the week higher, and U.S. Treasury yields were mixed.<\/p>\n
\nOctober 2023:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3.2 percent
\nNovember 2023:\u00a0 \u00a0 3.1 percent
\nDecember 2023:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03.4 percent
\nJanuary 2024:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03.1 percent
\nFebruary 2024:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03.2 percent<\/p>\n