🔵 Two days ago, America turned 250 years old. The Fourth of July 2026 — the Semiquincentennial, to use the formal word — marked two and a half centuries since the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Most of us reading this have personally lived through a fair slice of that story:

🔵 U.S. markets are closed today for the Independence Day holiday, which makes this a good morning to sit with a number that landed yesterday and quietly rearranged the second half of the year. The June jobs report showed the economy added just 57,000 jobs — roughly half what economists

🔵 At 8:30 this morning, the government released its June jobs report a full day earlier than usual, because markets close tomorrow for the Independence Day weekend. Whatever the exact figure, the direction has been clear all week: hiring in America is cooling. Private employers added just 98,000 jobs

🔵 The first half of 2026 ended far more calmly than it began. On Tuesday, the major indexes closed the books on their best quarter since 2020 — the S&P 500 up about 14% for the three months, the Nasdaq roughly 20%, and the Dow around 12%, finishing at a

🔵 In the same 24 hours, two things happened that together tell you more about where markets are heading than the entire past week of headlines. Micron delivered the most decisive earnings report of the year after Tuesday's chip rout. And this morning, May PCE — the Federal Reserve'

🔵 The Warsh Fed era began with a jolt. The Iran deal MOU was signed electronically, first tankers have already moved, and SpaceX has pulled back from its all-time high. The week that felt like the biggest in years is now settling into something quieter. Here is what the numbers

🔵 The U.S. and Iran announced a peace deal late Sunday — formally ending the conflict that has disrupted 20% of the world's oil supply since late February. Brent crude fell below $80 a barrel overnight, its lowest since early March. For retirees who have watched energy-driven inflation

🔵 The largest IPO in stock market history is set to price after market close today. Yesterday's inflation report confirmed what energy prices had been signaling for months. And fresh U.S. strikes on Iran overnight remind us that the force behind both stories — oil — is far from resolved.

🔵 Friday brought the market's sharpest drop in over a year, led by a small group of large technology stocks. For retirees, the more useful question isn't why it fell — it's how much of a "diversified" portfolio now rides on a handful of

🔵 Kevin Warsh chairs his first FOMC meeting in nine days — and the question is no longer whether rates will move. It's how the Fed will communicate from here on.Key Points * The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to approximately 4.57% today as oil surged above $97 on

🔵 Oil prices are climbing again. Gasoline is up nearly 30% from a year ago. With the May CPI report arriving on June 10 — six days before the Fed meets — here is what the energy picture means for purchasing power, interest rates, and the income side of a portfolio. Key Points

🔵 Kevin Warsh chairs his first FOMC meeting in two weeks — with inflation running at 3.8%, the most divided committee in decades, and markets now pricing in a possible rate hike instead of cuts. Here is what changed, and what it means for bonds, cash, and retirement income. Key Points

🔵 Treasury yields eased to their lowest level in more than two weeks as oil tumbled on tentative ceasefire progress. Treasury yields eased to their lowest level in more than two weeks as oil tumbled on tentative ceasefire progress. Here is what a quieter bond market does to retirement income — and