As has been well documented in the news over the past week, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept the federal funds rate unchanged on 1 November. This comes after the September meeting when the FOMC had initially signaled there would be one more rate hike this year. The Fed also opted not to raise rates in September. The question is, will July 2023 be the last rate hike of this tightening? The decision came after the sky high Q3 GDP growth of 4.9 percent. But there is more behind the curtain regarding that report. First, it was driven by consumer spending. In fact, much of that spending was on services, and within that, the Barbie movie and Taylor Swift and Beyonce’s concert tours. That doesn&rsq...
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...