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09/09/2026

Strong Jobs Report Raise Odds of Rate Hike
Brian S. Wesbury – Chief Economist, First Trust

Before Friday’s jobs report, it was roughly a toss-up in the financial markets whether the Fed would raise rates at the next meeting in mid-September. Now, the odds favor a rate hike and it’s not hard to see why.

Nonfarm payrolls rose 162,000 in August...

READ MORE:
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2026/9/8/strong-jobs-report-raise-odds-of-rate-hike

09/03/2026

In observation of upcoming Holiday, LPL offices will be closed on Monday, 09/07/2026. We will reopen on Tuesday, 9/8/2026 for normal business hours.

09/01/2026

Fedspeak's Back, And Warsh Is A Breath of Fresh Air
Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist, First Trust Portfolios

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh used his Jackson Hole speech last week to lay out what he thinks of monetary policy. Two things jumped off the pages of his speech. Read More.....

https://www.ftportfolios.com/retail/blogs/Economics/index.aspx

08/24/2026

The Blame Game About Rising Yields
Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist for First Trust Portfolios

James Carville, Bill Clinton’s chief political advisor, once quipped that if he could be reincarnated he wanted to come back as the bond market because “You can intimidate everybody.”

He’s being proven right. The yield on the 30-year Treasury Bond finished Friday at...

read more:
https://www.ftportfolios.com/retail/blogs/Economics/index.aspx

08/17/2026

Government Failure and Socialism
Brian Wesbury
Chief Economist, First Trust

The biggest political news of recent months is the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America. We suppose this started in New York City, with the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but it has spread to Michigan and other states.

This is not the first time the US has tilted...read more:

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08/04/2026

Warsh Deserves Time
Brian Wesury, Chief Economist, First Trust Portfolios

Kevin Warsh became Fed Chair barely ten weeks ago. He has presided over just two sets of monetary meetings and held two press conferences. Nonetheless, more than any chairman since at least Alan Greenspan, he has come under harsh criticism by the press right out of the gate. Long-term interest rates have risen by 20 basis points or more in recent weeks, with the 10-year...read more:

https://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2026/8/3/warsh-deserves-time

07/30/2026

https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-904120

Learn how to balance screen time and offline life, improve mental well-being, reduce digital stress, and build healthier daily habits. (And stay sane.)

07/28/2026

Millennial Message 2.0
“Grandma Hobbies”: Why you should start your next cozy hobby!
Danielle Durham | July 2026

We’re over halfway through the year! Pretty soon, the 4th of July Fireworks will burst, and then, all of a sudden, everyone is back to school, getting dressed up for Halloween, and putting out Christmas decorations. Life comes at you fast these days, especially when our phones are buzzing nonstop from incoming texts or about that Amazon order that you can’t quite remember what it was...

READ MORE: https://alleninvestments.com/millennialmessage2/grandma-hobbies-why-you-should-start-your-next-cozy-hobby/

07/28/2026

More Of The Same
Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist
First Trust Portfolios

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The US economy grew 2.0% in 2025 and it looks like it is growing another 2.0% this year. Real GDP grew at a 2.1% annual rate in the first quarter and, as we set out below, it looks like it grew at a 2.0% rate in the second quarter.

READ MORE :
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2026/7/27/more-of-the-same

07/20/2026

LPL Mid-Year Outlook

Policy, Buildouts, & Bottlenecks

In our 2026 Outlook: The Policy Engine, we spent considerable time talking about how policy is increasingly a driver of capital markets. The Iran conflict, and the resulting market disjoint, certainly served as another example of how policy, geopolitical or otherwise, should be top of mind when investors consider portfolio construction and risk management. So, what now? The simple answer is we expect more of the same.

Read More:
https://alleninvestments.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/LPL-2026-Outlook-Full-Report.pdf