Markets with Megan: A Quick Financial Markets Update

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  Why Are We Watching the Fed | S3 E161 | 08-19-26 19.08.2026 4นาที

  The Federal Reserve released the minutes from its July meeting, and Megan breaks down what they actually reveal about the committee's thinking heading into September. The minutes show risks to employment and growth skewed to the downside, while inflation risk is still seen as tilted to the upside, even with a general upbeat tone on the economy overall. A few committee members already favored raising rates rather than waiting, a reminder of what happened in 2022 when the Fed had to move aggre...
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  Retail Sales Miss, Confidence Drops Too | S3 E160 | 08-14-26 14.08.2026 4นาที

  Today's data on the consumer wasn't good. July retail sales fell 0.3%, missing expectations for a 0.2% gain, following a decline the month before. Megan Horneman breaks down what's behind the pullback and why the control group number, which feeds directly into GDP, matters even more than the headline. In this episode: - Why July retail sales fell 0.3% instead of rising as expected - What the control group reading tells us about GDP - Why restaurant spending rose 0.5% even as other categorie...
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  Markets Rally on CPI, Megan Isn't Sold | S3 E159 | 08-12-26 12.08.2026 3นาที

  July's Consumer Price Index is in, and markets are cheering. Headline CPI rose 0.1% for the month and 3.5% year-over-year, while core CPI came in at 0.2% monthly and 2.5% annually. Both numbers landed right where economists expected, and both ticked slightly lower than June. But as Megan explains, "as expected" isn't the same as "good news." In this episode, Megan covers: - Why July's in-line CPI report still isn't something to fully celebrate - How service sector inflation reversed course ...
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  Does Small Business Data Hint at a Fed Shift? | S3 E158 | 08-11-26 11.08.2026 2นาที

  The July NFIB Small Business Optimism Index just came in better than expected and it's now at its highest level since August 2025. Understand why this report matters, especially since small businesses make up nearly half of the private sector labor force. Underneath the headline number, the details tell an interesting story. Job openings, hiring plans, and capital expenditure intentions all jumped, painting a different picture than what showed up in last week's jobs report. With the CPI repo...
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  Wages Grow 3.2%. But Is That Enough? | S3 E157 | 08-07-26 07.08.2026 4นาที

  The July jobs report landed with a surprise this morning, and it wasn't the good kind. Economists expected the U.S. economy to add 80,000 jobs. Instead, it lost 23,000, and the prior two months were revised lower. Megan breaks down what happened underneath that headline number and what it means for the Fed's next move. Here's the part that confuses a lot of people: the unemployment rate actually fell to 4.1%, its lowest level in about a year, even as jobs disappeared. That's not necessarily g...
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  Supply Chains Behave While Prices Misbehave | S3 E156 | 08-05-26 05.08.2026 3นาที

  The July ISM Services report is in, and it's giving the Fed a mixed signal ahead of its September rate decision. Megan Horneman breaks down why the headline number came in slightly below expectations, what eased supply chain pressures actually tell us, and why the prices paid component just jumped back above 70 for the fourth time in five months. At the same time, the employment component fell back into contraction territory, something it's now done in 12 of the past 18 months. That combinat...
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  The 9.2% Number Hiding Inside Retail Sales | S3 E155 | 07-17-26 17.07.2026 4นาที

  June retail sales came in close to expectations, with headline growth slowing to 0.2% as gasoline station sales pulled the number down. But strip out food, energy and building materials, and the control group grew 0.5% on the month and is running at a 9.2% annualized pace over the past three months. Megan breaks down what that split actually tells us about the consumer. In this episode, Megan covers: 📊 Why headline retail sales growth slowed to 0.2% in June ⛽ How falling gasoline station sal...
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  Biggest PPI Drop Since 2023 | S3 E154 | 07-15-26 15.07.2026 3นาที

  The Producer Price Index for June came in much better than expected, with the headline number falling 0.3% instead of holding flat, the biggest monthly decline since October 2023. So what drove the drop? How does it compare to yesterday's CPI report? Why does the softer core reading still leave the Fed with a decision to make? This matters right now because the Fed is weighing whether to hold steady or move again in September, and this report cuts both ways. Energy prices did a lot of the wo...
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  CPI Surprise: Inflation Drops 0.4% | S3 E153 | 07-14-26 14.07.2026 4นาที

  This week's June CPI report brought a surprise most analysts did not expect. Headline inflation fell 0.4% on a month over month basis, driven almost entirely by a sharp drop in energy and commodity prices. On a year over year basis, headline inflation is still running at 3.5%, but that's down meaningfully from 4.2% a year ago. The timing matters. The Fed's new chairman is testifying before Congress this week, and his prepared remarks stayed hawkish on inflation even as this report showed real...
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  5 Questions Driving Markets This Summer | S3 E152 | 06-22-26 22.06.2026 3นาที

  With markets hitting record highs and a tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire in place, investors are sitting with a lot of open questions heading into the second half of 2026. In this episode, Megan Horneman works through the five questions she's hearing most from investors right now, from energy prices to Fed policy to what Q2 earnings season might reveal. - What the U.S.-Iran interim ceasefire means for investors, and three key details still unresolved - Why gas prices haven't kept pace with the...
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  The Kevin Warsh Era Has Begun | S3 E151 | 06-17-26 17.06.2026 5นาที

  The Fed didn’t raise rates, but the meeting still packed a punch and markets felt it immediately. We break down the first decision under new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and why a “no change” outcome can still read as hawkish when the inflation outlook shifts and the Fed changes how it communicates. If you care about interest rates, inflation, bond yields, and what gets priced into markets next, this quick update is built for you. Megan Horneman digs into the biggest headline bene...
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  5.1% Producer Inflation: Should You Be Worried? | S3 E150 | 06-11-26 11.06.2026 3นาที

  The producer price index for May came in at a monthly gain of 0.8% when stripping out food, energy, and trade, the fastest pace at that level since 2022. On a year-over-year basis, producer prices are up 5.1%. Megan Horneman breaks down what the numbers actually mean and why they matter beyond the headlines. In this episode, Megan covers: - Why the core PPI reading of 0.8% month-over-month is the number that matters more than the headline - Which components from PPI will filter into the Fed...
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  Rising Prices, Falling Paychecks | S3 E149 | 06-10-26 10.06.2026 3นาที

  Inflation moved higher again in May, and the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows prices are drifting further away from the Federal Reserve's 2% target. In this episode of Markets with Megan, CIO Megan Horneman discusses the latest inflation data, including rising energy costs, sticky services inflation, higher food and travel prices, and why real wages have slipped back into negative territory. Megan also explains what this means for the Federal Reserve as a new Fed Chair prepares...
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  Running on Empty: Inflation & Consumers | S3 E148 | 05-28-26 28.05.2026 5นาที

  Inflation pressures are continuing to build, consumers are feeling squeezed, and the Federal Reserve may be forced to stay higher for longer. In today’s episode of Markets with Megan, Megan lays out a massive day of economic data covering housing, inflation, consumer spending, GDP, and what it all means for markets and interest rates. 🏠 Topics Megan Covers: • New home sales fell sharply across most regions • Median new home prices surged 8% in one month • Core PCE inflation rose 3.3%, the h...
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  Fed Minutes: Rate Hike Is Back on the Table | S3 E147 | 05-20-26 20.05.2026 2นาที

  The Federal Reserve's April meeting minutes, released today, show a committee growing more uncomfortable with inflation. The language shifted from "somewhat elevated" to simply "elevated," and three members pushed to signal that the next rate move could be a hike, not a cut. This matters for anyone watching their portfolio right now. The market has already adjusted, pricing in one rate hike before the end of 2026. That is a sharp reversal from where expectations stood just a few months ago wh...
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  Is Retail Data Misleading Investors? | S3 E146 | 05-14-26 14.05.2026 4นาที

  April's retail sales report came in roughly as expected, but the headline number doesn't tell the whole story. Megan Horneman breaks down what the data actually shows, why the core control group figure matters more than the top line, and why some of that consumer spending may reflect higher prices rather than higher volume. If you've been watching inflation reports closely, the retail sales data adds an important layer. Spending categories like electronics and restaurants look strong on pape...
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  The Numbers Look Fine Until You Read Them | S2 E345 | 05-12-26 12.05.2026 4นาที

  That CPI headline might look “close enough,” but when we slow down and read the report like investors do, it’s hard to call April a win. We walk through why a 0.6% monthly jump in headline inflation and a 0.4% rise in core inflation point to renewed price pressure, not a smooth glide back to normal. If you care about the stock market, bond yields, mortgage rates, or your grocery bill, this breakdown connects the dots from the Consumer Price Index to real world costs. We get specific ab...
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  Hiring Gains, Confidence Pains | S3 E144 | 05-08-26 08.05.2026 3นาที

  The U.S. job market is showing renewed momentum, with the economy adding 115,000 jobs and posting the strongest two-month stretch of job gains since 2024. But beneath the surface, there are still signs to watch — including weaker labor force participation, rising underemployment, and consumer confidence hitting another record low. In this episode of Markets with Megan, Megan Horneman breaks down what the latest jobs report means for the economy, the consumer, inflation, and the Federal Reser...
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  Fed Day Fallout | S3 E 143 | 04-29-26 29.04.2026 4นาที

  The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, but the tone of today’s meeting was more hawkish than markets expected. In this episode of Markets with Megan, Megan breaks down the latest Fed decision, the notable dissent within the committee, and why small wording changes in the Fed statement can have a big impact on markets. She also discusses rising energy prices, inflation concerns, higher bond yields, and why the path for rate cuts looks increasingly uncertain. In this episode,: • Why...
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  Is Market Mood Just Middle East Relief? | S3 E 142 | 04-28-26 28.04.2026 3นาที

  The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for April came in better than expected, and it tells a notably different story from last week's near-record-low University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment reading. Megan breaks down what the numbers actually show and why the gap between these two indexes matters for investors watching consumer health. The most striking detail: optimism around job availability jumped to its highest point of the year, and that confidence filtered into forward-look...