The coronavirus pandemic continues to significantly impact the domestic and global economy. Weekly unemployment claims in April have broken records and consumer confidence has declined with the worsening economic conditions. More than 18 percent of the labor force has claimed unemployment in the past six weeks. Less than two months ago, the ... Read More ›

As the coronavirus pandemic and its repercussions create challenges for all, it’s easy and important to focus on the day-to-day headlines and the information driving the news cycle at the moment. But, understanding long-term trends, even those that may be altered by the pandemic’s impacts, provides helpful insight into major decisions, like the ... Read More ›

Given both emergency rate cuts of the Federal Reserve and the recent economic uncertainty due to the spread of the Coronavirus, the 10-year Treasury yield dropped to its lowest level in 150 years, according to Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller. For added perspective, that takes us back to the time of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. The 10-year Treasury ... Read More ›

Beginning in 2011 and continuing through 2018, the share of rent-burdened households declined nationally – a trend reversal from the decade between 2000 and 2010. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, rent-burdened households spend over 30 percent of their income on rent. However, as the old adage goes, it’s all about ... Read More ›

After nearly 20 years of rising rents, renter affordability, or the lack thereof, is a hot topic in housing. The long-running increase in rents has fueled a rise in the share of rent-burdened households, defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as households that spend over 30 percent of their income on rent. Read More ›

In the third quarter of 2019, the United States reached its longest economic expansion in history, which caused some people to wonder whether we were overdue for a correction. Additionally, global uncertainty resulted in a flight to safety of U.S. Treasury bonds, prompting the dreaded inversion of the yield curve. When that happened, we discussed ... Read More ›