Pressure on consumer finances is beginning to impact the fast-food sector, with most major chains, including Chipotle, Domino’s, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC and McDonald’s, seeing sales cool and guidance tempered.  On the demand side, low-income customers, in particular, pulled back on their spending, but so did middle-income households.  Higher income households appear to be sustaining … Continued

Week of June 2, 2025 Ignore the Noise.  It’s easy to get swept up in the daily drama out of D.C.—hearings, headlines, and heated takes. But while the political theater distracts, something far more consequential is unfolding: artificial intelligence is advancing at a breakneck pace. Nearly every day brings breakthroughs with real-world impact. The real … Continued

The answer to that question depends, to a significant degree, on geography, politics and economics.  In the US, until recently, more than 50% of electricity generation was from coal.  Today, coal utilization for electricity generation is down to approximately 15%, and cleaner, lower cost natural gas has substantially replaced coal as the primary fuel for … Continued

Week of May 26, 2025 “Mr. Trump wants European nations to nix their Value-Added Tax system, a key consumption tax – which negotiators say is not on the table” notes the New York Times (Europe’s been Negotiating by the Book, but Trump’s Tearing It Up, NYT, May 24, 2025).  We alluded to the role of … Continued

Week of May 19, 2025 Next on the agenda in Washington, as the noise surrounding the Trump tariff proposals begins to fade, are federal budget negotiations. Currently, our fiscal policy Signal is yellow, indicating a moderate level of concern (Moody’s just downgraded US debt). Any resolution that results in a fiscal surplus and a reduction … Continued

This blog could also be titled, “You Can Lead a Horse to Water But You Can’t Make Him Drink.” Recently, the House voted to overturn, with some Democratic support, the EV mandate the Biden Administration let California impose on the rest of America. The California mandate is ludicrously impossible to meet.  It requires 43% of … Continued

Week of May 12, 2025 Of the five top-performing common stocks in the S&P 500 from 1990 to 1999 (that are still in business today)—Cisco Systems, Jack Henry & Associates, Qualcomm, Best Buy, and Microsoft— not one delivered extraordinary, sustained performance over the following decade. This prompts reflection on the fate of today’s top performers … Continued

Will California be able to rebuild?  The unintended consequences of blanket opposition to development. In our blog, “No One Wants to Pay“, posted April 9, 2025, we discussed California’s major fire financial losses and suggested that it would be difficult to finance a recovery.  Money is not the only problem.  The California Environmental Quality Act, … Continued

Week of May 5, 2025 The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is within single digits of its all-time high. As highlighted in the May 3, 2025 CNBC headline, “Buffett downplays recent market volatility as ‘really nothing,’ saying it’s part of investing”—we wholeheartedly agree. What we refer to as the “Trump func” served as the catalyst … Continued

Florida, in response to soaring home owning costs, is considering eliminating property taxes.  Rising home ownership costs, particularly property taxes and insurance are a national problem. See our blog posted February 5, 2025, “Can You Afford a Large Increase in the Value of Your Home?”  Florida’s property taxes are estimated to approximate $55 billion for … Continued

Week of April 28, 2025 The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index closed on Friday, April 25, approximately 11% above its recent low on April 8. Positive developments, including President Trump’s decision not to pursue the removal of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and progress in tariff negotiations, served as the primary catalysts. Given the ongoing … Continued

Wikipedia defines consumerism as a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies.  It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever increasing quantities.  In contemporary consumer society, the purchase and consumption of products have evolved beyond the mere satisfaction of basic human needs, transforming into an activity that … Continued