The US provides another official estimate of second-quarter GDP. These numbers will be revised further in the future. Policy expectations distorted demand patterns for domestic consumers, but the relative strength of the middle-income US household balance sheet late last year provides a foundation for some consumer spending. Weekly continuing claims for unemployment insurance are a modest market focus.

Apollo Lupescu is a Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors. We cover a wide range of top of mind topics for investors, including a look at the US macroeconomic environment, the road ahead for monetary policy, the impacts of US trade policy to economic activity, asset allocation views, and more. Host: Daniel Cassidy

US taxes on Indian imports doubled to 50%. US importers should pay the old tax rate on goods already en route to the US, delaying the effect. With full pass-through and no demand switching, the tax increase would add less than 0.1 percentage point to US consumer price inflation. However, the unpredictability of US trade policy affects global corporations as they manipulate their supply chains.

Jason reflects on last week’s Jackson Hole Symposium, and speech delivered by Fed Chair Powell - we discuss what the speech suggests about the road ahead for monetary policy, and the market response. Plus, thoughts on overall market pricing as of late, and what investors have been focused on, along with a look at the latest asset allocation recommendations from CIO, per the latest UBS House View. Featured is Jason Draho, Head of Asset Allocation Americas, UBS Chief Investment Office. Host: Daniel Cassidy

US President Trump issued a letter purporting to fire Federal Reserve Governor Cook—an unprecedented action. After recent comments, investors will inevitably view this as an assault on Fed independence. There are obstacles—Trump already appointed a majority of Fed governors, without changing policy independence. If the dismissal survives the courts, the Senate must confirm any successor. Fed presidents still have policy votes. Faith in these checks may limit the negative market reaction.

Federal Reserve Chair Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole last week was classic Powell. That is not a terribly good thing. Powell signaled an increased probability of a September rate cut to counter the damage of trade taxes on the US economy. Markets liked that. But this was essentially the “data dependent” mantra padded with additional rhetoric.

Tune in every Monday morning ahead of the New York opening bell as Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, CIO Americas and Head of Global Equities for UBS Wealth Management, briefs you on the most important market drivers in the week ahead, along with opportunities beyond the consensus. This week - NVIDIA’s earnings on Wednesday.

Dan Peris is a Senior Portfolio Manager, and Head of the Income and Value Group at Federated Hermes and has authored several books that are focused on equity investing. Dan joins the 1285 studio in New York to share his thoughts on the current landscape for dividend equity investing, including a look at positioning considerations, and risks. We also discuss the benefits of geographic diversification for equity investors, along with highlight investment themes. Host: Daniel Cassidy

In my view, central bank policy would have been better served had US President Trump extended former Fed Chair Yellen's term instead of appointing Powell. Powell has lacked confidence, and failed to articulate a medium-term vision for the economy at a time of uncertainty caused by structural change. The resulting mantra of “data dependency” has not been helpful as data has very obviously become significantly less reliable.

The Federal Reserve meeting minutes offered no surprise—a majority of members thought inflation a bigger threat than unemployment, which was obvious given the vote. US President Trump called for a Democrat-appointed Fed governor to resign. In the broader context, investors may worry about whether the Fed still has the appearance of being independent. In a fiat currency system, trust is key and even the appearance of undermining independent policy or data is dangerous—in this case, also threatening the US dollar’s reserve role.