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AI, Automation, and Productivity: Long-Term Themes That May Drive Returns for Investors Artificial intelligence is no longer just a technology story. It is becoming a capital spending story, an earnings story, and potentially a long-term productivity story that could reshape how companies compete and how investors identify durable return opportunities.

The MNI Chicago Business Barometer printed 62.7 in May 2026, its highest reading in four years and a 13.5-point surge from April’s 49.2, which had marked a return to contraction. The consensus forecast heading into the release was 50.3 to 50.6, making the miss one of the largest in recent

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge delivered an expectedly high reading last week. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index advanced 3.8% in April on an annualized basis, reaching its highest level since August 2023. The causes are not mysterious. The outbreak of the Iran war in late February 2026 disrupted

The BEA released its second estimate of Q1 2026 GDP yesterday, and the headline number came in at 1.6% annualized growth, a downward revision from the 2.0% advance estimate published in April. While that is a meaningful rebound from the sluggish 0.5% pace recorded in Q4 2025, the revision lower

The Federal Reserve finds itself in a difficult policy environment. At its April 2026 meeting, the FOMC voted to hold the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, as policymakers grappled with persistent inflation and an unusually divided committee. The inflation problem has been significantly compounded

Please find the next blog in our monthly series that provides a snapshot of the markets and the state of the economy. Economic Overview Market Returns Asset Class Valuations – Rebalancing Rationale Key Risk Factors We Are Watching Disclaimers: The views expressed herein are those of Asset Consulting Group (ACG).

Building permits came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,442,000 in April 2026, rebounding 5.8 percent from a soft March reading of 1,363,000 but landing essentially flat on a year-over-year basis, just 0.2 percent below April 2025. Single-family authorizations declined 2.6 percent from March to 872,000, while multifamily

Artificial intelligence has quickly become part of everyday life. It recommends what we watch, helps draft emails, detects fraud, and increasingly influences financial decisions. As AI continues to evolve, many investors are beginning to ask an important question: can technology replace the role of a financial advisor? Technology is already

The latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York puts total U.S. household debt at $18.8 trillion as of Q1 2026, up just 0.1% from the prior quarter. Credit card balances declined by $25 billion to $1.25 trillion, a move consistent with the seasonal pullback that typically follows

Oil Is Piling Up With Nowhere to Go Five weeks after the ceasefire was announced, the Strait of Hormuz still has not fully reopened, and oil is piling up across the Persian Gulf. Saudi Aramco’s CEO said this week that around 600 ships sit trapped inside the Gulf with another