Despite finishing the week mostly flat, the fourth quarter got off to a good start as the September jobs report came in unexpectedly strong, and the port strike appears to have been averted.

The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index was released by the Commerce Department this week and rose 0.1% in August, which puts the 12-month inflation rate at 2.2%.

The first interest rate cut, since March 2020, is now behind us with more coming in the months ahead.

This week markets rebounded a bit with the pending interest rate cut coming next week.

September is living up to its reputation if this week is an indication of how the rest of the month will unfold.

This is such a confusing time of the year for me. It’s 97 degrees out, yet Halloween decorations are on the shelves and pumpkin spice has returned with a vengeance.

The Federal Reserve held its annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week and based on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments and market reaction, investors are expecting a rate cut in September.

What a difference a week makes. Last week we saw a significant recovery after a precipitous Monday where the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over 1,000 points lower.

Monday saw one of the largest market selloffs in quite some time.

Investors continued to take gains and head for the exits this week as signs of an economic slowdown grow.