Rates keep going up, and the earnings results are pouring in.

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We've got a parade of quarterly updates from companies, stocks on our radar, and the early

themes of the earnings season, but we're going to start with the Fed and the big picture.

This week, the US Central Bank decided to increase rates a quarter of a point, marking

the 11th rate increase and bringing the baseline Fed funds rate to its highest point in 22

years. Matt, something that I think we were kind of expecting and are now confirmed.

This is what we're working with.

I think this was totally expected. Maybe the most expected move by the Fed that we've had

over the past 15 or 16 months. Yeah, 11th straight, we're not straight.

I should say they did skip last month, but brought the target range to five and a quarter,

five and a half, highest level, and more than 22 years, by the way, for the Fed funds rate.

That was followed up on Friday, but we had more news about inflation cooling.

You had the core PCE, which is a Fed, widely tracked, or at least by the Fed, a number of inflation.

That was 4.1 percent from a year ago. That was below estimates and the lowest annual rate

since September 2021. By the way, goods prices, the goods price component of that actually decreased

0.1 percent. It's all kind of happening for the Fed, and I hate to kind of conjures up this

image. An unfortunate one, actually, including one of an aircraft carrier. But dare I say,

mission accomplished. It seems like they've been able to increase rates without massive spikes,

non-employment, without too much economic disruption. This is pulling something off that I think

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