Category: Uncategorized
20 posts categorized as "Uncategorized"
15Oct
October 2021 Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index moderated slightly in September after several months of steading readings, perhaps suggesting the peak of output growth during the post-pandemic boom is behind us. Nonetheless, the AEI remains consistent with a strong economic state: we delve into some of the numbers below. Part of the story behind the AEI’s…
12Oct
Astor Investment Management Commodity Review
2021 has seen equity and fixed income valuations very rich by traditional standards. As demand roars back and supply chains remain constrained, commodities have increasingly been in the limelight as an alternative source of return. Indeed, many commodities have enjoyed a spectacular rise in price throughout 2021 which creates a question of whether there is…
28Sep
Astor Weekly Economic Review – Episode 80 -The Astor Research Team Dives into the Fed’s Promise of Tightening
Growth is still strong and we should have seen the peak behind us and now we have these on-going questions about time constraints and price pressures in the economy. Fed is talking about tapering, reducing the pace in treasuries and agency securities. The indication of when this is going to happen is November – the…
15Sep
September 2021 Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index ended the month of August essentially unchanged from the last several months, a level consistent with strong economic growth domestically, despite headwinds from the Delta variant. We discuss labor market developments below and delve into some of the dynamics surrounding the current inflation debate. Non-farm payrolls disappointed strongly to the downside…
3Sep
Astor Weekly Economic Review- Episode 79 -Payroll Friday
This week- Astor CEO, Rob Stein, and CIO, John Eckstein make sense of the Employment Situation Report and it’s implications- the FED in particular. Rob Stein shares his thoughts on the Fed’s actions coming out of Jackson Hole Economic Symposium and answers John’s question, “Is the latest labor market news going to affect the Fed’s…
31Aug
Rob Stein on Millennials and Money with Angela Miles
https://astorim.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Rob-Stein-Millennials-and-Money.mp4 AIM-8/31/21-OP445
3Aug
Astor Weekly Economic Review – Episode 77 – Boon or Swoon Economy
Astor CIO John Eckstein and Nick Porter eyeball the latest numbers from from labor, housing and industry. Is the economy still booming or did June produce a swoon that will affect the outcomes moving forward? AIM-8/2/21-OP429
14Jul
Astor Q2 2021 Strategy Update Recording with CEO & Founder, Rob Stein.
Recording of Astor’s Q2 2021 Strategy Update call with CEO & Founder, Rob Stein.
18May
My Compelling Reasons for Hyper-Inflation and Potential Impacts
Inflation itself is not a rally-killer for stocks. Rather, I believe it is the interest rate differential between a risk-free return against the risk on stock prices and dividend yield. I think that spread has favored stocks for some time and very aggressively for the past 12 months. As rates rise and stocks appreciate, I…
25Feb
Rob Stein Update on Inflation
As inflation expectations begin to accelerate and long rates begin to rise, I thought I would review my thoughts on inflation and rates from previous articles and the Outlook 2021. One of the basic definitions of inflation is “too much money chasing too few goods.” With the mailbox money from 2020 increasing money supply and…
17Mar
A 10-Step Response Plan To The Overall Health & Economic Emergency
As state and federal governments weigh the most effective responses to COVID-19 and the economic disruption resulting from efforts to flatten the contagion curve, it is clearly time for some new approaches. The old playbook of the Federal Reserve adding liquidity is unlikely to have an immediate impact. As was written in Astor’s Outlook 2020:…
17Mar
March Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index declined throughout 2019 to a level consistent with approximately average economic growth, and as a result, Astor entered the month of March with substantially less ‘risk’ exposure compared to 12-months ago. As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses throughout the United States and the world, our approach to investing mirrors that of the…
10Mar
Astor Investment Management Wins Two 2020 Lipper Fund Awards
CHICAGO (March 6, 2020) – Astor Investment Management LLC is pleased to announce it is being honored with two 2020 Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards in the United States. TO READ OUR FULL PRESS RELEASE, CLICK HERE
18Feb
February Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index improved to slightly above average economic growth in January, buoyed by consistent jobs growth and a return to expansion in the manufacturing sector. U.S. payrolls increased by a solid 225,000 in January, supporting the notion of a durable expansion and labor market. The unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 3.6%, and…
31Jan
Astor’s 2020 Outlook
Click here to read Astor’s Outlook for 2020. Founder and CEO, Rob Stein, looks back at 2019 in the markets, as well as what could be in store for 2020.
16Jan
January Update on the U.S. Economy
This month we’ll take the opportunity to look back at both 2019 and the data as they stand at year end. It will come as no surprise to prior readers of this blog that the data has moderated substantially throughout the year, but in aggregate the current economic situation for the U.S. (and increasingly, abroad)…
16Jan
Navigating Market Uncertainty With Economic Data And ETFs
JANUARY 10, 2020 – BILL HORTZ – Uncertainty & fears of recession have many advisors and RIAs climbing a wall of worry as markets continue to reach new highs – How do you navigate this environment? – Astor Investment Management LLC explains their macro strategy, proprietary index and offers to share research. [We are in…
11Dec
December Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index moved upwards in November, its first month-end improvement in half a year and broadly consistent with a U.S. economy growing at about trend. As we’ve noted in prior months, the durability of this stage of the expansion has been solidly on the back of consumers. As a result, labor market indicators…
9Dec
Remembering Paul Volcker, My “Boss”
While I am known for being the author of Inside Greenspan’s Briefcase: Investment Strategies for Profiting from Key Reports & Data (McGraw-Hill, 2002), my career began under the tutelage of another Fed Chairman: Paul Volcker, who passed away on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the age of 92. In 1984-1985, as a project analyst for…
6Dec
What’s Really Behind the New Highs
We entered the last month of the decade with the major stock market indices at new highs: the Dow closing over 28,000, the S&P 500 over 3100, and the Nasdaq Composite over 8600. While market pundits searched for reasons for the euphoria—from expectations of a China trade deal to fading fears of a near-term recession—the…