It's a tough time to be an investor. There are cross-currents galore in the macro data, the financial headlines, policy decision-making, and market technicals.

Growth prospects in short term are being revised up. But how long can that persist when policy rates rise, oil prices stay low?

Technical analysis of the stock chart for MSFT.

The Western democracies seem to be settling in at inflation rates around 3 + %, having come down dramatically from peaks of 9-10 % in 2021-22.

January US Empire Manufacturing reading this morning was -43.7, much worse than the -5 estimated and much weaker than during the 2008 financial crisis/great recession.

The ruling comes after a trial in November, where lawyers for the feds claimed that the merger would eliminate the need for larger airlines to offer budget-friendly fares.

Inflation robs you of purchasing power by driving up the price of everything you buy.

The US Dollar gains traction against the Japanese Yen bolstered by a rise in US Treasury bond yields amid a risk aversion environment.

Average wage for production and nonsupervisory workers in total private and leisure and hospitality services, and implied by median wage growth, all up relative to 2019M12, just before the pandemic.

The U.S. dollar is strong against the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso, pushing the S&P 500 lower.

​​​​​​​On Tuesday, London's FTSE 100 index, which is made up of top blue-chip companies, reached its lowest level in a month.

Gold fell over 0.7% on Tuesday amid the strengthening dollar and rising yields, as well as an uncertain Fed path.

Nearly half of the New York region manufacturers reported a decline in new orders. Did a recession just start (or about to) as everyone gave up on the idea?

For commodity markets, the increased tension poses supply risks, with energy markets most vulnerable.

With a CAPE (inflation-adjusted P/E ratio) that Icarus would have a hard time reaching, the US stock market is ripe for a major fall.

The all-time peak of gasoline usage was in August 2019, when nearly 9.8 million barrels were used per day. The post-pandemic peak was 9.528 million in August 2021. This past summer the peak was 9.388 million barrels.

100% technical buy signals 13 new highs and up 46.04% in the last month 141.60+ Weighted Alpha

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is headed for its second-straight triple-digit drop, while the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite sit on both sides of breakeven midday.

Forecasts were calling for the index to improve from a reading of -14.5 in December up to -5 this month. Instead, the headline reading collapsed down to -43.7.

The USDA unloaded some surprising bearish data as funds heavily sold corn, soybeans, and soybean meal ahead of the negative data Friday, though speculators had been active sellers along with the funds.