There was a lot of interesting economic data released this week showing month over month changes that indicate the economy is picking back up – albeit raggedly. After three straight months of declines, the June consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.6 percent; that is the largest monthly increase since 2009. The increase was led by key food and fuel. Take out the impacts of food and energy, and the core inflation rate was 0.2 percent in June. The all food index was up 0.6 percent, driven mostly by meat and proteins. Beef prices led the way, up 4.8 percent. The CPI formula for the meat, poultry, fish and eggs category accounts for 1.836 percent of the CPI.
Much of the June retail price level was influenced by retailer...
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...