Owners’ Equivalent Rent (OER) is the amount a homeowner would pay to rent his or her home and thus is the proxy the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses for the housing portion of the CPI. According to the forecasts of the Cleveland Fed, the Owners’ Equivalent Rent could cause the Core CPI to rise by at least 0.5 percent in each of the next three years. Why does this matter? The Federal Reserve has undertaken significant monetary infusions in order to attempt to jump start the economy. Because inflation has remained tame, the Fed has continued to engage in various programs.

Energy has long been, and continues to be, one of the most important issues faced by the United States. The dependence on scarce resources has fostered corrosive politics at home and abroad – and efforts to generate renewable energy have provided few viable alternatives to traditional fuels.  For the foreseeable future, fossil fuels will likely continue to dominate the energy landscape in the United States. The trends that influence them are vitally important in shaping the direction of the economy and the market.

Despite the belief that the New England regulatory environment is bad for the regional economy, New England GDP has held up relatively well over the past few years.  Has this benefited any particular sector?

There is much at stake in the upcoming presidential election. From how to tackle the deficit to how to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, the issues are complicated and interrelated – and the candidates differ vastly on their beliefs and intended approach. How will the election affect the economy, the stock market, and you? How can you best prepare for this event, and respond to the outcome?