Category Archives: Market Structure and Dynamics

On July 15, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released their CPI report which found that inflation rose by 0.3 percent in June, with the 12-month inflation rate for June 2025 coming in at 2.7 percent, in line...

Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, at the Federal Reserve’s Financial Inclusion Conference, highlighted how novel credit scoring models and alternative data could be used to understand and expand credit and financial services to credit...

The fall in 30-, 60-, and 90-day credit card delinquencies in tandem with the material decrease in the percentage of new card accounts with a credit score below 660 signals a tightening of credit standards...

At a European Central Bank conference on July 1, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell highlighted the Fed’s ‘wait-and-see’ stance with regards to future interest rate reductions. Powell stated that the Fed will observe the effects...

U.S. auto sales have declined following a surge in April and May. Car shoppers are being deterred by both high vehicle costs – with the average cost of a new car climbing 1 percent year-over-year...

FICO, after conducting a study with Affirm, intends to launch FICO Score 10 BNPL and FICO Score 10 T BNPL this Fall, a credit scoring model for Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) activity. The unique characteristics of BNPL, such as the frequent turnover...

U.S. retail sales in May dropped more than expected as the pre-tariffs surge in purchases subside. The drop in sales was led by a decline in auto purchases. Reuters notes that it is unclear if tariffs are...

Borrowers falling 90 days behind on their student loans are being sent to debt collectors and their credit scores dropping as a result. Student Loan payments were restarted last month by President Trump. ABC News reports that...

The May CPI Report found that inflation rose by 2.4 percent year-over-year in May. This increase was lower than the expected 2.5 percent. This month’s lower-than-expected inflation numbers may be due to falling energy prices. Inflation remains...

Junk bond and investment grade bond sales are expected to rise as U.S. companies work to get ahead of pending tariffs. Junk bond sales reached $32 billion in May and passed $8.6 billion during the...

A report by researchers from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Moody’s, and Harvard found that private credit’s exponential growth and inherent opaqueness could be the cause of future market turbulence. The report recommends more transparency in the...

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins stated that he is open to changing SEC rules that currently restrict the sale of closed-end funds that invest 15 percent or more of their assets in private...