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:
US equities finished May on a positive note, with the S&P 500 up 5.0%. Domestic mid-cap equities increased 2% and domestic small-cap equities increased 1%. The S&P 500 is up 10.5% over the last three months and up 29.8% over the last 12-months.
The international index (MSCI ACWI ex-US) was up 5.1% in April. The index is up 3.0% over the last three months and up 19.2% over the last 12-months.
US equities continued to rally in May, led by strong tech earnings and AI-related exuberance. The S&P 500 had 11 all-time closing highs in May while declining oil prices and easing geopolitical concerns amplified positive market sentiment. Positive sector performance skewed heavily towards Information Technology, up 16%, and the sole sector to outperform the S&P 500. On the other side, Energy declined by 6% as oil prices slumped.
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:
Recent Highlights: Consumer spending increased 0.5% in April, which was at expectations. Consumer spending can be volatile from one month to the next.
The revised second estimate of Q1 2026 consumer spending recorded a 1.4% increase, below the first estimate and expectations.
Personal income stayed the same in April, below expectations.
Positive Since June 2022
Rating: Positive
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 54.0 in May, above expectations. This reading is above the 50.0 break-even point, signaling expansion. New orders reported 56.8, above expectations.
Global PMI posted a reading of 52.6 in May, unchanged from April’s 52.6. This reading remains above its 50.0 neutral mark and recorded its 10th consecutive month above the neutral mark of 50.0. In May, we saw output rise across the consumer and investment goods industries hitting 50+ month highs. The solid expansion came from China, with modest and sustained growth occurring in the eurozone and the rest of Asia. The latest expansion of production volumes was driven primarily from rising new work intakes and new business rose for the fifth month in a row. Despite the ongoing conflict in the middle east, we see resilience in purchasing activity, production growth, and new order acceleration.
Positive 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 0.6% in April which was at expectations. Over the last 12 months, CPI rose 3.8% which was above expectations.
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.4% in April. Over the last 12 months, core CPI rose 2.8%. Core CPI month over month and Core CPI over the last 12 months were both 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 by 0.2% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million units.
The median existing home price in April was $417,700. Unsold inventory is at about a 4.4-month supply. A three to six-month supply is considered a healthy balance between supply and demand.
New home sales decreased 6.2% in April to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 622,000. The median sale price of new homes sold in April was $422,500. Unsold inventory is at about 9.4-month supply as of April 2026. Note that the new home sales report is typically very volatile and the data is frequently revised.
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate ended April around 6.5%.
Neutral Since October 2022
Rating: Neutral
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 May at 16.9 and ended the month at 15.3. Volatility throughout the month of May had a steady decline with no sharp movements. The historical average is 19.2.
Neutral Since March 2026
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 May was 0.03% (3-Month SOFR 3.63% – 3-Month Treasury Bill 3.60%, as of May 2026). The current TED spread of 0.03% is well below the historical average spread of about 0.57%.
Positive Since June 2020
