Confluence Podcasts

It may come as a bit of a surprise that oil production in the U.S. has reached a record high. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins Phil Adler to discuss the reasons for this surge in production and the impact on prices and investments.

The creation of the U.S. Space Force in 2019 did not come out of the blue but recognized a new reality. Associate Market Strategist Daniel Ortwerth asserts that investors should pay attention.

A sometimes overlooked financial report may give us insight about the timing of potential Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.  Associate Market Strategist Thomas Wash joins Phil Adler to explain.

The war in Ukraine seems to have entered a new phase. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez considers what investors might do to prepare for a range of possible outcomes.

Confluence's official 2024 Outlook anticipates a slowing U.S. economy and continued risk of recession. As the title of the report indicates, economic activity with slowing momentum is more susceptible to a negative shock. The co-authors of the report, Chief Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez and Associate Market Strategist Thomas Wash, join the podcast to examine the main themes of their expectations and how investors can utilize an outlook piece such as this to review the big picture: where they've been, what the new year has in store, and how they might prepare for it.

Confluence Chief Market Strategist Bill O’Grady and Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez sit down with Phil Adler to assess the geopolitical outlook for 2024. The first issue discussed is titled “the jungle grows back,” which could also be considered the overall theme of the report. As U.S. hegemony wanes, long-forgotten conflicts are reigniting, thus increasing global turmoil and forcing the U.S. to manage multiple fronts. The discussion also touches on the spate of elections next year, including the U.S. elections in November. Finally, Bill and Patrick examine China-U.S. tensions and the continued evolution of the two major global blocs, and provide commentary on the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East.

For stock investors, the initial rally was impressive, but does the Federal Reserve's recent decision to pause interest rate hikes signal the market's advance has room to grow further? Confluence Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady joins us today to tell us the answer is a bit complicated.

With the latest quarterly earnings reports now in the books, now might be a good time to step back and look at earnings from a different angle as we try to anticipate future stock market performance. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady has been doing just that and joins us today to discuss a chart that might help us.

Our government's foreign policy can seriously impact our investment accounts, but because these policy decisions often involve difficult and  immediate trade-offs, it can be challenging for us as investors to recognize and take advantage of long-term trends. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady joins us today to offer a framework that can guide us.

The annual Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2024 was announced in October and Confluence Staff Economist Thomas Wash joins us today to discuss the potential impact of this 3.2% hike on spending, the economy, and the federal deficit.