Elias Griepentrog

Inflation & Employment Indicators Are Mixed As Fed Meets

Jun 10, 2026 4 min read paid

The latest batch of inflation and employment indicators suggests that the FOMC might adopt a neutral policy stance at next week's meeting rather than a tightening one as we have been expecting. That seemed to be the initial reaction in the US Treasury market, as 2- and 10-year yields edged lower on today's cooler-than-expected core CPI inflation news. We are sticking with our

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Booming Number Of Retiring Boomers Supports Consumer Spending & Depresses Saving

Jun 9, 2026 4 min read paid

The Doomsayers have long warned about one specific vulnerability of the US economy, i.e., the sustainability of consumer spending growth. Since July 2024, real consumer spending has outpaced real disposable income growth on a y/y basis for 22 consecutive months. Spending is up 4.1% over that period, while disposable income rose just 1.1%. The widening gap has been filled by declining personal savings. The personal savings

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Employment Is Heating Up, But So Is Inflation

Jun 4, 2026 4 min read paid

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Is Wall Street's AI Boom Spreading To Main Street? Nothing To Fear But FOMO?

Jun 2, 2026 4 min read paid

The S&P 500 rose to yet another record high today, rising above 7600 for the first time. On May 11, we raised our year-end S&P 500 target from 7700 to 8250, still the highest forecast on Wall Street. We did so because of the strength and breadth of S&P 500 earnings during the Q1 earnings reporting season. That led us to conclude that

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Inflating, But Not Stagnating

May 28, 2026 5 min read paid

The three major US stock market price indexes (i.e., the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and DJIA) rose to record highs again today. So did the Russell 2000. Leading the way higher were technology stocks. Driving stock prices higher was a report that the US and Iran have "mostly agreed" to extend their ceasefire by 60 days. The market ignored a warning from ExxonMobil that oil inventories

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Retiring Baby Boomers & The G-Shaped Economy

May 26, 2026 5 min read paid

Many economists continue to question the resilience of consumer spending in the US. The naysayers don't believe it's sustainable and continue to expect significant consumer retrenchment. They claim that the economy is "K-shaped," with the wealthiest 10% of households accounting for 50% of all retail spending. Those widely quoted numbers are from Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi. They make no sense

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Mindboggling: Quantum Computing + AI + Resilient Economy

May 21, 2026 4 min read

The Department of Commerce signed letters of intent to invest $2 billion in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act across nine quantum computing and hardware companies. Rather than issuing traditional research grants, the Trump administration is taking minority equity stakes in these companies in exchange for the capital, continuing a broader policy shift toward direct government ownership in strategically critical sectors (similar to previous moves with Intel and

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Fed Minutes Should Please Bond Vigilantes

May 20, 2026 4 min read paid

On Monday, we made a few headlines in the financial press with our out-of-consensus prediction that the FOMC would adopt a tightening bias at the June meeting of the Fed's policymaking committee. That would be followed by a 25-bps hike in the federal funds rate (FFR) at the July FOMC meeting. Today, the minutes of the April FOMC meeting showed that the vote to maintain

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Don't Freak Out About The Bond Vigilantes Just Yet

May 19, 2026 4 min read paid

The selloff in the US Treasury bond market continued today. The 30-year yield hit a high of 5.19%, its highest level since July 2007. The 10-year yield surged to 4.69%, its highest since January 2025 (chart). Just as unsettling as these levels is how quickly yields have risen over the past few days. We think that happened in response to last week's hotter-than-

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Another Day, Another Step Closer to a Tightening Bias

May 15, 2026 4 min read paid

Two important psychological levels are being tested in the US Treasury market right now. The 2-year yield is trading just above 4.00% this evening, May 14 (chart). That's 25bps above the current federal funds rate (FFR) range of 3.50%-3.75%. That implies investors believe the Fed may need to raise the FFR by at least 25 bps in the foreseeable future. The 30-year

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

From Cuts to Hikes: The Fed's Shifting Calculus

May 13, 2026 5 min read paid

The April FOMC statement contained an easing bias, signaling that the Fed remained likely to cut the federal funds rate (FFR) over the rest of the year. That bias is becoming increasingly difficult to defend. Three voting members on the FOMC (Hammack, Kashkari, and Logan) already dissented against retaining it at the April meeting of the monetary policy committee. Boston Fed President Susan Collins has since added her voice to

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

CPI Heats Up But, Unlike 2021-22, Wages Remain Cool

May 12, 2026 4 min read paid

During 2021 and 2022, a wage-price spiral was exacerbated by widespread global supply chain disruptions and a spike in oil prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine (charts). This time, the war in the Middle East has caused oil prices to spike. Some supply chains have been disrupted. But a wage-price spiral is less likely. The labor market is in equilibrium this time (chart). In 2021-22,

Ed Yardeni
Elias Griepentrog

Page 2 of 4