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Financial Insights

Weekly Update

Weekly Update

The January 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was released this week and surprised to the upside, with the headline figure rising more than expected month over month. This comes on the heels of a rise in December as well. Even when higher energy and food prices are excluded, Core CPI rose as well, just a tick underneath the CPI number. The core inflation (excludes the volatile food and energy categories) paints a clearer picture of the trajectory of inflation. Therefore, it is closely watched by investors and members of the Federal Reserve.

After the Federal Reserve held rates unchanged at the most recent meeting back in January, strategists still expect that the inflation data will ease enough for the Fed to cut interest rates this year. However, the recent strength of the labor market and higher-than-expected inflation may delay these cuts to the latter half of the year.

Looking more into the economy, with the inflation data reported this week, strategists still believe that the economy is in expansion, and it can continue. Prediction of volatility increase may occur along the way as the new year continues to move along. What does this mean in terms of your personal investment portfolio?

A well-balanced portfolio is ideally suited to handle potential market fluctuations. As the economic expansion continues, the equity portion will position itself well with market capitalization, while the fixed income portion will continue to earn interest with rates still at a high over the last twenty years.

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Biltmore Wealth Management
1400 E. Southern Avenue,
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