Rating: Positive
Stock Market Performance
Why we watch it:
The stock market tends to be forward looking and it is a leading indicator of economic growth.
Recent Highlights:
Despite a sharp sell-off on the final trading day of the month, US equities finished their 4th consecutive month of gains, with the S&P 500 up 2.0% in August. Domestic mid-cap equities increased 2.5%, while domestic small-cap equities increased 7.1%. The S&P 500 is up 9.6% over the last three months and up 15.9% over the last twelve months.
The international index (MSCI ACWI ex-US) was up 3.5% in August. The index is up 6.8% over the last three months and up 16.1% over the last twelve months.
U.S. markets staged a sustainable recovery since May, fueled by optimism and clarity surrounding tariff policy.
Positive Since November 2023
Rating: Positive
Consumer Spending
Why we watch it:
Over 70% of the U.S. economy is based on personal consumption. A reduction in consumer spending will cause slower growth in the economy.
Recent Highlights:
Consumer spending increased 0.5% in July, which was at expectations. Consumer spending can be volatile from one month to the next.
The second estimate of Q2 2025 consumer spending recorded a 1.6% increase, which is the above the first reading of 1.4%.
Personal income increased 0.4% in July, also at expectations.
Positive Since June 2022
Rating: Neutral
Manufacturing Activity
Why we watch it:
The health of the economy is dependent on the health of the manufacturing sector. Historically, it has been the path to development and an important driver of economic growth. Domestic manufacturing activity is tracked by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM), which releases a monthly index while global activity is tracked by J.P.Morgan and IHS Market in association with ISM and IFPSM. The index monitors data like employment, production inventories, new orders and supplier deliveries. It is based on surveys of more than 300 manufacturing firms, and it’s considered an important economic measure. The index value ranges between 0 and 100. A value below 50 may indicate a slowdown in the economy, especially if the trend persists over several months. A value above 50 likely indicates a time of economic growth. Similarly, Global Manufacturing PMI is produced by IHS Markit in association with ISM and IFPSM. It is compiled by IHS Markit from responses to monthly questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in survey panels in over 40 countries, totaling around 13,500 companies. It has the same value ranges as the ISM manufacturing report.
Recent Highlights:
ISM manufacturing reported 48.7 in August, below expectations. This reading is below the 50.0 break-even point, signaling contraction. New orders reported 51.4.
Global PMI posted a reading of 50.9 in August, recording an above expectation reading and signaling a slight improvement in operating conditions. India, Thailand, Spain, Columbia, and the US saw the strongest growth rates, while Poland, Taiwan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Brazil registered the steepest contractions.
Neutral Since March 2025
Rating: Neutral
Consumer Price Stability
Why we watch it:
Mild inflation is good for the economy, because it promotes consumption without destroying the value of people's savings. If you know something will be going up slightly in price down the road, you'll be more likely to purchase it now. If this effect is mild, it doesn't hurt savings rates very much. Deflation, however, punishes an economy because it hurts consumption. If you know something will be cheaper tomorrow or next year, you're more likely to wait until tomorrow to buy it. The Fed’s inflation target is 2 %.
Recent Highlights:
Headline CPI increased 0.2% in July. Over the last 12 months, CPI rose 2.7%. Headline CPI are in line with expectations, while CPI over the last 12 months were below expectations.
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.3% in July. Over the last 12 months, core CPI rose 3.1%. Core CPI in July was in line with expectations, while the core CPI over the last 12 months were above expectations.
Neutral Since: December 2023
Rating: Neutral
Housing Market
Why we watch it:
The economy typically benefits directly and indirectly from increased housing activity. It is estimated that for every $100 in value resulting from housing construction, an extra $40-$80 is added to the economy due to housing-related spending.
Recent Highlights:
Total existing home sales increased 2.0% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.01 million units.
The median existing home price in July was $422,400. This is the 25th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases. Unsold inventory is at about a 4.6-month supply. A three to six-month supply is considered a healthy balance between supply and demand.
New home sales declines 0.6% in July to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 652,000. The median sale price of new homes sold in July was $403,800. Unsold inventory is at about 9.2-month supply as of July 2025. Note that the new home sales report is typically very volatile and the data is frequently revised.
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate ended August around 6.6%.
Neutral Since October 2022
Rating: Positive
Volatility
Why we watch it:
VIX is the symbol for the Chicago Board Options Exchange's volatility index. It’s a weighted mix of the prices for a blend of S&P 500 Index options, from which implied volatility is derived. In other words, it measures how much people are willing to pay to buy or sell the S&P 500. The VIX goes up when there’s turmoil in the market, and goes down when investors are content or at ease with the economic outlook.
We like to watch the VIX, because it measures the cost of buying insurance for stock protection (through options). When the cost of protection is high, volatility is usually high, and the potential for declining stock values is higher.
Recent Highlights:
The VIX started August around 20.4 and ended the month at 17.2. Volatility spiked at the end of July, but dropped down again at the beginning of August. The historical average is 19.2.
Positive Since September 2025
Rating: Positive
TED Spread
Why we watch it:
The TED Spread is the banks’ cost of borrowing short-term money minus the Treasury’s cost of borrowing short-term money. The difference between the three-month SOFR interest rate and the three-month Treasury Bill interest rate measures the degree of riskiness of the bank lending market. When the spread is significant, banks worry about being repaid when loaning money to other banks, thereby creating uncertainty. This can cause slower growth in the economy.
Recent Highlights:
The current spread at the end of August was 0.29% (3-Month SOFR 4.34% – 3-Month Treasury Bill 4.05%, as of August 2025). The current TED spread of 0.29% is below the historical average spread of about 0.57%.
Positive Since June 2020
