Investor weariness about trade talks, the Federal Reserve, a government shutdown, and global economic growth lingered into the New Year. Despite the turbulent end to 2018, the U.S. economy continues to be resilient into 2019. Unemployment is at its lowest level in 49 years, wage growth is reaching levels not seen since 2009, and consumer...

Oil prices dropped fast in recent weeks, driven largely by fears of growing U.S. output and weaker global demand. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has resolved to cut output in 2019 in an effort to stabilize oil prices. Global oil prices declined sharply in November, with the domestic benchmark (WTI) falling 22% for the month, the single...

Looking back, Q3 was a strong quarter for U.S. stocks. The strong fundamentals of our economy were seen in all three indices during the third quarter, and the equity markets performed well despite concerns over escalating international trade tensions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average led the way in September with a return of 1.97%, and...

Technology driven drilling and oil exploration has elevated the U.S. to the third largest oil producer in the world, behind Russia and Saudi Arabia. The EIA estimates that U.S. oil, priced as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) in the energy markets, will continue to be less expensive than its international counterpart, Brent through 2019. Since commodities...