From the desk of George Bradley

After biding its time, the Fed kicked off its monetary easing cycle with a strong start out of the rate cut gates. While investors may harbor concerns the Fed is getting ahead of itself, we highlight why we’re encouraged by the Fed’s proactive move.

While the U.S. president certainly has great influence, the formal and informal checks and balances built into the government’s structure still matter, and investors shouldn’t let election noise get in the way of sound portfolio management.

Pressure points in the economy and markets were triggered, sweeping up equities into a global selloff. We look at the market’s supporting factors and how investors should tilt equity exposure in portfolios.

As expected, the Fed held off on a rate cut this week. But as policymakers await more economic data before a likely September rate cut, the data may already be signaling the central bank is too late.

Relative comfort on inflation should allow the Fed to shift its focus to the goal of full employment. But with labor market data pointing in different directions, we sift through the mixed messages and the impact on the Fed’s rate cut plans.

While mega-cap tech stocks have dominated U.S. equity performance so far this year, recently the rest of the market has been trying to take the baton. We discuss the main factors needed to make a clean handoff.

While AI and the Magnificent 7 have been exceedingly visible in their leadership, we spotlight two other trends with a clear impact on portfolio performance and how to approach U.S. equities as the economic environment inevitably evolves.

Find out three ways U.S. debt can affect Canada.

The federal government’s debt has doubled since 2015 – and shows no signs of turning around.