History of the Real Federal Minimum Wage Today, the real federal minimum wage is worth 31% less than in 1968. It is also the longest period without an increase (adjusted for inflation). You may also…

U.S. Monthly Average 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Keep in mind that mortgage costs are influenced by the 10-year Treasury yield. 30-year mortgage rates = 1.739 x (10-year treasury yield)² + 0.7755 x (10-year treasury yield)…

Labor Costs Lead Core Inflation by 6 Months Historically, U.S. labor costs have been a good leading indicator of core inflation, because when labor costs rise, companies tend to increase their prices. Image: Legg Mason

Demographics Explain Sovereign 30-Year Yields Accross Emerging Markets Another great chart showing that emerging market demographics explain 30-year sovereign bond yields. An R² of 0.80 is quite high and significant. You may also like “U.S.…

“Yield Curve” Google Trends vs. 10Y-3M Yield Spread This interesting chart shows the Google trends interest for the “yield curve” compared to the U.S. 10-year minus 3-month Treasury yield spread. If history helps us predict…

What Happens When the S&P 500 is Up 15% at Mid-Year? History tells us that the rest of the year is generally quite good. Image: LPL Research

Concern about the Trade War 58% of American firms reported negative impacts from the trade war, versus 31% of non-American firms. Ouch! Image: American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

S&P 500 and Recession Probability Great chart showing twelve Fed easing cycles since the 1950s, including the recession probability and the average return of the S&P 500 Index. Image: Fidelity Investments

Major Crypto Returns Since Bitcoin’s Low Since December 14, 2018 low, other major cryptocurrencies have outperformed Bitcoin. Image: Bianco Research

Growth Has Outperformed Value Since 2015 Is is time for value stocks to shine? Actually, tech stocks contribute to widening the gap between growth and value. Image: Wells Fargo Investment Institute

The World Has $13 Trillion of Debt With Negative Yields But there are still positive-yield bonds. Image: The Wall Street Journal