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 | 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...
Author(s): David W. Berson, Ph.D., CBE | Tue January 13, 2026
December core inflation up a bit less than expected. The December CPI rose by 0.3 percent, keeping the 12-month trend rate at 2.7 percent – exactly as markets expected.
Author(s): Patricia Healy, CFA | Tue January 13, 2026
Muni credit quality remained strong over the 4th quarter despite some moderating of upgrade activity. Investment grade munis are considered a safe fixed-income investment, with most issuers maintaining strong reserves to help manage through challenges such as changes in federal funding and…
Author(s): John R. Mousseau, CFA | Fri January 2, 2026
As we pull to a close in 2025, we present below the yields on US Treasuries, AA corporates, AAA munis, and the taxable equivalent of AAA munis (using a 37% top federal tax rate) for the end of last year and here on the last day of 2025.