Jake Gradwohl

Falling Snow, Rising Inflation

Falling Snow, Rising Inflation

This week, Portland residents braved the cold to venture outside and watch snow blanket the city. In contrast, January's inflation data was seemingly the opposite, rising higher month-over-month and year-over-year. While the snowfall might have been a pleasant surprise for some Oregonians, this inflation data was anything but for most investors and consumers.

Glass Half Full for the Holidays

Glass Half Full for the Holidays

While standing in line at a local grocery store this week, waiting to purchase food for yesterday’s Thanksgiving meal, it was interesting to hear other shoppers mention the cost of their groceries to the store’s clerks.

Setting the Stage

Setting the Stage

his week, Oregon residents experienced the first taste of fall. Evenings, once long and balmy, gave way to early, crisp sunsets. Leaves, damp from evening rain and morning dew, began dropping from trees. Pumpkins appeared on porches to greet the trick-or-treaters that would soon walk door-to-door. Lastly, capital markets demonstrated similar signs of change with company earnings announcements and macroeconomic data reports, ending a fairly quiet week by setting the stage for more significant releases of information in the coming weeks and months. Surely, fall is upon us.

The Devil (and Dove) Are in the Details

The Devil (and Dove) Are in the Details

Last week, over 28 million unique viewers tuned into the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad opening ceremony in Paris, France, double the combined state populations of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The ceremony set the stage for the coming weeks of competition and allowed viewers to catch their first glimpses of the best athletes in the world. This week, investors were focused on a different stage: the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) press conference, which offered insight into the Fed’s future perspectives on inflation and employment.

Meet Our 2020-2021 New Hires

Meet Our 2020-2021 New Hires

The pandemic brought many opportunities for our colleagues to practice one of our core values of “advocate innovation and manage change.” While we adjusted to working from home, we did not stop the hiring process for several of our departments. We asked our newest colleagues to answer three questions about their experience joining the company during quarantine.