Insights
Cumberland Advisors Market Commentary offers insights and analysis on upcoming, important economic issues that potentially impact global financial markets. Our team shares their thinking on global economic developments, market news and other factors that often influence investment opportunities and strategies. Our readers appreciate its timeliness, depth of analysis, and quality of research.
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Mon June 8, 2026
Strong, strong jobs! Markets looked for a nonfarm payroll (NFP) gain of around 85,000 for May – but the reported increase of 172,000 blew that out of the water.
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Thu May 14, 2026
About as expected – consumers spending at a modest pace. Retail sales rose by 0.5 percent in April, just shy of market expectations. This figure was held down by a small decline in auto spending...
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Tue May 12, 2026
Inflation up, but not worse than expected. The April CPI rose by 0.6 percent for the month, with the core rate (excluding the volatile food and energy components) rising by 0.4 percent.
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Fri May 8, 2026
A reasonably strong report. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 115,000 for April, above market estimates of about 50,000.
Author(s): Patricia Healy, CFA | Tue April 21, 2026
Municipal credit quality continues to be resilient. S&P reports that upgrades exceeded downgrades in most sectors in 2025, elevating average municipal ratings. Smith’s Research, which combines three rating agency actions, shows similar positive-weighted activity.
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Fri April 10, 2026
Ugly overall, but some good news inside. The March CPI jumped by 0.9 percent (equal to market expectations), bringing the 12-month trend rate up to 3.3 percent – the fastest pace since September 2023.
Author(s): John R. Mousseau, CFA | Mon March 23, 2026
The war against Iran is about to begin its fourth week this Sunday. We have seen bond yields rise in both taxable and tax-free bond markets, reflecting mostly the rise in the cost of oil due to shipping stoppages through the Strait of Hormuz...
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Wed March 11, 2026
The calm before the storm. The February Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.3 percent in February, while the core CPI (excluding the volatile food and energy components) rose by 0.2 percent for the month.
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Fri March 6, 2026
A drop in nonfarm payrolls – survey volatility or real weakness? Nonfarm payrolls fell by 92,000 in February, compared with market expectations of a rise of around 50,000.
Author(s): John R. Mousseau, CFA | Mon January 26, 2026
This is an overview of Cumberland Advisors’ thoughts on financial markets as we head into 2026. As we come off the first year of President Trump’s second term, the markets have encountered several themes and events that we have not dealt with in the recent past...