Economic & Market Update

Q2 2026 in review: the S&P 500’s best quarter since 2020, oil’s round trip from $114 back to $70, a 4.2% CPI print that would not quit, and a new Fed chair who took 2026 rate cuts off the table — plus what a 15% quarter means for the allocation you actually own.

Q1 2026 in review: oil shock, S&P 500 down 4.3%, commodities up 24.4%, the cease-fire that became a blockade — and the planning moves that matter most coming out of a quarter like this one.

An Economic and Market Update February 2026 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2025 ended a third straight of positive domestic equity returns. Introducing our Chief Investment Officer Brian Andrew. Trump Accounts are around the corner. Check out https://trumpaccounts.gov/ for how to make an election to open an account. This was a year where the various moving parts all…

The following 2026 Market Outlook is authored by Brian Andrew, Chief Investment Officer at Merit Financial Group, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Mr. Andrew, formerly Executive Vice President at Johnson Financial Group, oversees Merit’s investment department and leads asset allocation decision-making for client portfolios. As we expand our content offerings this year, we’re excited…

What is the yield curve and why does it matter? It’s hard to predict a recession—when to expect one, how severe it might be, and what a recovery could look like. And yet, for all of the variables around predicting a potential recession, there’s one indicator that has been largely accurate, predicting every U.S. recession…

AN ECONOMIC AND MARKET UPDATE October 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Federal Reserve announced another 25 basis point rate cut, but cautioned against expecting a further cut in December. The First Brands implosion was another reminder that we have a debt problem in this country. Trump Accounts are coming for the kids and that is a…

AN ECONOMIC AND MARKET UPDATE July 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is an up year almost all the way around, with nearly all major indices in positive territory. Tariffs and talk of replacing Fed Chair Powell have driven volatility without any major negative consequences, yet. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is here, and there…

AN ECONOMIC AND MARKET UPDATE May 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY GDP turns negative for the first time in three years driven largely by higher imports in Q1 2025 in anticipation of President Trump’s tariff policy. A “big, beautiful bill” giving us clarity on future tax policy is in the works. There is no better time than…