On June 15, 2022, amid efforts to regain control over soaring consumer prices, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters (0.75) of a percentage point, the largest interest rate increase in 28 years. The move followed a quarter-point (0.25) increase in March 2022 and a half-point (0.50) jump in May 2022. This Read more
Bowen Reports
Reclamation Projects: How Stock Buybacks Work
As the stock market reels amid concerns over inflation, stagflation, the Federal Reserve’s raising interest rates, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a surge in commodity prices that could stall the economy, corporate stock buybacks are on a record pace in 2022. Stock buybacks, also known as share buybacks or share repurchase programs, involve a public company Read more
The Return of Inflation: Have We Seen This Movie Before?
We last wrote about inflation in May 2021 in a piece titled “Inflation Worries: Will the Tide Riser Higher?” (https://bowenasset.com/inflation-worries-will-the-tide-rise-higher/) A year later, we have an answer to the question: both the inflation rate and the anxiety it causes have increased. A Pew Research survey in April 2022 showed inflation as the dominant concern of Read more
What’s the Score on Your Credit?
Do you know your credit score? It’s an important number. Your credit score can cost you a lot of money or save you a lot over your lifetime. An excellent score can land you lower interest rates, meaning you will pay less for any line of credit you take out. The strategy for achieving a Read more
Stress Factors: Economic and Stock Market Update
Stocks have had both back-to-back downturns and a relief rally so far in 2022. Investor sentiment has flip-flopped as a result. Where is it heading? Federal Reserve tightening, inflation, and the war in Ukraine have been the dominant big-picture forces influencing the economy in 2022. This confluence of negative factors set U.S. stocks up for Read more
War in the Ukraine, Global Economic Consequences
The Russian invasion of Ukraine overturned a lot of expectations on the near-term direction of the global economy. The destructive military action and its subsequent economic and financial ripple effects have become the chief driver of the market’s swift, volatile moves (both downside and upside) since the end of February 2022. This volatility has spiked Read more