Todd Van Der Meid, MBA, CFP®

On the same day the S&P 500 closed at a new all-time high of 7,165, consumer sentiment hit an all-time low of 49.8. Initial jobless claims came in at 214K. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow estimate for Q1 sits at 1.2%. Retail sales rose 1.7% in March. Markets are pricing in a resolution to the Middle East conflicts. The data tells a more cautious story. Here’s your Data at a Glance for the week of April 20 to April 24

The S&P 500 closed above 7,000 for the first time ever at 7,126, up 4.5% on the week. The Cleveland Fed's April inflation nowcast eased to 3.58%. Continuing jobless claims climbed to 1.82 million. Industrial production fell 0.5% in March. The ceasefires drove a record high, but the economic data tells a more cautious story. Here's your Data at a Glance for the week of April 13 to April 17.

CPI surged to 3.3% as gas prices spiked, the fastest pace in two years. Michigan sentiment hit a record low at 47.6. Durable goods orders fell for a second straight month. GDPNow slipped again to 1.3%. The ceasefire grabbed the headlines, but the data tells a harder story. Here's your Data at a Glance for the week of April 6 to April 10.

March jobs roared back at +178K after February’s revised -133K. Claims fell to a near two-year low. But GDP is fading, the Atlanta Fed’s nowcast slipped to 1.6%, and the Fed isn’t budging. Here’s your Data at a Glance for the week of March 30 to April 3.

The March ADP report showed 62K private sector jobs added, beating expectations of 39K, but the details tell a more cautious story. Health care and construction drove nearly all the gains, while trade/transportation shed 58K and manufacturing lost another 11K. Small businesses added 85K jobs; medium and large firms were net negative. Friday’s BLS report (consensus: +59K) will be the real test.

Jobs are holding. Inflation is climbing. And the Fed? Staying put, with markets now pricing in a 42% chance of a rate hike by year-end. Here’s your Data at a Glance for the week of March 23–27.

@SamRo TMI

"We're replacing workers with AI" in the sheets. "We're *not* replacing workers with AI" in the streets.

February Jobs Report: The economy lost 92K jobs last month. Economists expected a gain of around 50K. Instead, we got a contraction that caught nearly everyone off guard. Unemployment rose to 4.4%. Average hourly earnings beat expectations at +0.4% month-over-month. Previous months were revised lower too. December flipped from a gain of 48K to a loss of 17K. January was trimmed from 130K to 126K. The three-month average now sits at just 6K jobs per month. BLS says strike activity weighed on health care employment, but the broader trend is hard to ignore: job growth has been essentially flat for months. Rising wages alongside falling payrolls is a tough combination. The labor market is calling for rate cuts, but sticky wage growth complicates the picture.

@WSJ It's called the Time Value of Money. The elderly have had more time hence they have more money.

The elderly are physically and financially healthier than ever. So why do their needs keep taking priority over younger generations? writes Greg Ip. on.wsj.com/4cvLH24

@CBSNews @grok What is 14% of 20M? What percentage of legal U.S, residents have had charges or convictions for violent crimes?

Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News. The official statistics contained in the DHS document, which had not been previously reported publicly, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's far-reaching deportation operations across the U.S. cbsn.ws/4r5SkfX

@DirtyTesLa I'd wait until after earnings come out.

If Bitcoin hits $69k I gotta get some

Increased manufacturing activity does not equal more manufacturing jobs. This isn’t the 1970s, when we needed to create jobs for the baby boom generation entering the workforce. Today, with fewer workers per retiree, we need automation and productivity gains more than headcount. That’s not a failure. It’s the math.

There have been eight straight months of manufacturing job loss since Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. US manufacturers are struggling to compete in the global market. TARIFFS = KILL JOBS.

@SteveRattner @TaxFoundation Can you first define fair?

Instead of chasing quixotic wealth taxes, those who want the rich to pay their fair should focus on this: low capital gains rates under-tax a huge portion of income for the highest-earning Americans. cc: @TaxFoundation

A state can't force federal agents to remove masks if they're following federal policy or operational needs. The Supremacy Clause makes federal law the supreme Law of the Land, so states can't interfere with federal officers doing their jobs. These lawmakers know full well this would get struck down, they're just ginning up their base with red-meat theater. Federal authority wins every time.

BREAKING: Philadelphia just drew a hard line on ICE. They have INTRODUCED legislation to rein in ICE. - Agents can’t wear masks - Must show ID - Judicial warrants only - Assault a bystander → arrested This is what accountability looks like. This isn’t law yet, but it’s the blueprint. Pass it. Enforce it. Take it nationwide.

@smerconish Logic disconnect - An illegal immigrants cannot be a law-abiding citizen.

"I'm appreciative of President Trump," says Michael, but are sweeping deportations of all illegal immigrants fair? What about those who have been law-abiding citizens since arrival? Michael shares his idea for how to treat them. Watch more on YouTube: youtu.be/Ld8UurcA6PE

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

@SteveRattner @crampell @nytopinion Please define “fair share.” And understand that if most Americans knew your income and wealth, they’d think you are wealthy.

America definitely needs to figure out how to make our wealthiest pay their fair share, but California’s wealth tax proposal is not the best option. I joined Emmanuel Saez and @crampell for an @nytopinion roundtable to debate the merits of the plan. nytimes.com/2026/01/23/opi…

The Constitution secures your right to protest the government. It doesn't extend to religious institutions, private businesses, or private property. The First Amendment begins with "Congress shall make no law..." which means it restricts government action, not private conduct. A shopping mall can remove protestors. A church can ask demonstrators to leave. None of these actions violate the Constitution because none of these entities are the government. There's a broader principle at work here: your rights end where they begin to infringe on the rights of others. You're free to speak your mind, but not to trespass on someone else's property to do it. You can assemble peacefully, but not in ways that prevent others from going about their lives. Rights come with boundaries, and those boundaries exist to protect everyone's freedoms, not just your own.

🇺🇸 DOJ LOOKING INTO MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH CHAOS CAUSED BY ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS A bunch of anti-ICE lunatics barged into a Christian church during Sunday service in Minneapolis. They shut it down and freaked the heck out the worshippers inside. Don Lemon was right there, live-streaming the whole thing, saying he was "journaling it." Now the DOJ is looking into it under the FACE Act, which protects churches from threats and interference. Source: @AAGDhillon, The Post Millennial

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines do not interpret the Constitution nor judge the legality of their orders. You already know this. This post is intended to create division. Congress has abdicated many of its responsibilities to avoid making difficult, often unpopular decisions. If you feel that strongly, take action and push for changes to the laws. We the People have had it with the never-ending virtue signaling from both the D team and the R team.

Dear @usairforce, @USNavy, @USArmy @USMC: Greenland is part of Denmark, a NATO ally. If Trump orders the military to attack Greenland without congressional approval, that would be an illegal order. You will disobey the illegal order. Your oath is to the Constitution, not Trump.

@WSJ What does this have to do with Wall Street, the economy, investing, finance?

The woman fatally shot on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis was a 37-year-old mother who had moved to Minnesota to start a new chapter. Here’s what we know about Renee Nicole Good so far: 🔗 on.wsj.com/49tVuTk