The Opening Bell

Business in Illinois in recent years has seen it’s ups and downs, but expectations are still high. Steve Grzanich learned about what Todd Maisch (President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce) will be focusing on to help better business in the state and the top 3 things he wants to see change with the new administration.  

On November 9th, 2018 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: Numbers detailing the Producer Price Index are out today along with Consumer Sentiment Numbers A few speakers from the Federal Reserve are out speaking on monetary policy today

Many were expecting the election to happen the way it did, but Paul Nolte (SVP & Sr. Portfolio Manager at Kingsivew Asset Management) explained to Steve Grzanich that the surprise came from the stock markets. The two recapped the higher than expected performance of Wall Street after the votes were counted and they also covered other market news like the Federal Reserve not raising interest rates this time around. Brian Sumers (Aviation Business Editor at Skift.com) then updated Steve on the […]

Every industry has their ups and downs, but real estate cycles seem much harder to follow, but thankfully the Associated Bank Thought Leader, Greg Warsek (SVP & Regional Manager for the Chicago Market for Commercial Real Estate) provided some input to help get a feel on where businesses are moving to. Steve Grzanich and Greg also discussed how Amazon HQ2 hopes for Chicago is dwindling, the suburban market could be making it’s moves soon, and the co-working space is finally […]

On November 8th, 2018 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: The Federal Reserve policy makers wrap up their meeting today (an interest rate hike is not expected) The report on Initial Jobless Claims and the EIA Natural Gas Report are out today AMC Entertainment, Activision, Blizzard, Crocs, Gannett, Walt Disney, Party City, Discovery, Dropbox, Hertz, Global Holdings, and Yelp all report earnings today

Commercial Real Estate has been one of the most active industries in the Chicago area recently, so Steve Grzanich checked in with the Associated Bank Thought Leader, Greg Warsek (SVP & Regional Manager for the Chicago Market for Commercial Real Estate), to feel the pulse of where businesses are moving and what the major players will do down the road. Steven Strahler (Reporter at Crains Chicago Business) then jumped on the program to preview what business leaders are looking forward to […]

The shopping season is almost here and so are the deals. Steve Grzanich and Sarah Hollenbeck (Shopping and Retail Expert at BlackFriday.com) will touched base to sort through the biggest deals already, what consumers can expect this year compared to last year, and which stores will be open – which there are fewer and fewer as retailers urge shoppers to buy online.  

The Midterm Political season is over and so are the political ads. However Steve Grzanich and Shannon Vavar (Reporter at Axios) noted that this year was a more active election for advertising than years past, and the numbers supported that breaking records all across the country. Sarah Hollenbeck (Shopping and Retail Expert at BlackFriday.com) then previewed the holiday shopping season by consolidating the shopping deals that are all over the internet into one site, and what to expect for this […]

On November 7th, 2018 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: Consumer Credit for September is due later in the day The Meeting Minutes from the last Federal Open Market Committee Meeting The Mortgage Bankers Association has mortgage applications released today EIA Petroleum Status Report Monster Beverage, 21st Century Fox, Sinclaire Broadcast Group, Hostess Brands, Tribune Publishing, News Corp, Groupon, Humana, Qualcomm, Trip Advisor, Roku, Wynn Resorts all report earnings today.    

Social media is constantly evolving so it’s invaluable to have perspectives that can help us direct the uncharted territory. Steve Grzanich learned from Rona Borre (CEO and Founder of Instant Alliance) that nearly 70% of employers are looking through a potential employees social media presence before they determine if they are a good fit for a position. The two discussed the best way to have a responsible presence and how companies should manage their digital footprint as well.