Nagging Inflation - You Want Fries with That?

04/12/24 • 11 min

Market turbulence is back. It returned with a vengeance this week. I last wrote on March 31st these words: "The Market was running pretty hot heading into Spring. We could see a cooling off period before another run higher. It's not a stretch to say volatility is likely to pick up as we head towards Summer. A lot of good stuff has been priced in from this rally. The Presidential election is heating up and we anticipate the road ahead to be quite bumpy. This Bull still seems healthy. It's just getting mature. And the next stretch could definitely be a challenge." That was from our Spring Newsletter which went out last week. The road definitely got bumpy, fast...

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TGI-Good Friday: Hot Chocolate

That sweet tooth is getting increasingly more expensive to satisfy. The culprit this time: Chocolate. Cocoa prices have tripled since last year due to a bean disease in West Africa. It's not looking like prices will come down anytime soon. Cocoa supplies are down drastically. There’s no quick nor easy fix. Production has been curbed by severe weather and the crop disease in both Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Together, these nations are responsible for roughly 70% of global Cocoa production. Nearly 5 million tons of Cocoa were produced around the world last year. Supply shortages sent Cocoa futures prices surging well past $10,000 per metric ton this week. The price has increased 50% this month alone. In fact, Cocoa beans are now more expensive than Copper. That’s some hot chocolate...

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Another Rapid Rundown

Heightened volatility remains within the Market. It's been that way all April. This week brought upside movement as the S&P put an end to its weekly losing streak. Choppy price action is to be expected. It's a volatile world in which we live...