The Compass – July 2021
Well the first half of the year has flown by!!! And as the United States and the world have begun to re-open it has been positive on many levels. The economy is showing many signs that this recovery is well underway. Manufacturing has expanded five of the last six months according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Merger activity has been robust, setting an all-time record for the most recent period. According to Refinitiv, there have been $2.4 trillion of merger and acquisition deals announced with the U.S. accounting for more than half of that number. And late in the quarter, the Federal Reserve announced that 27 of the largest financial institutions in the U.S. passed their most recent stress tests. This may allow them to both hike dividends and increase stock buybacks.