Last week was jam-packed with economic updates, many of which beat expectations. Faster-than-expected GDP growth in the third quarter and a stronger-than-expected October employment report highlighted a week in which the Fed cut the federal funds rate by 25 bps. This week will be quieter, with notable releases on international trade, the service sector, and consumer confidence.

October was a great month, with U.S. markets doing well and international markets doing even better. This positive news was surprising, given the impeachment inquiry, weak job growth, and declining business confidence. Still, major sectors of the economy remain strong. Consumers continue to earn and spend more. Plus, the Fed has gotten behind the markets with rate cuts at its last two meetings. But is there volatility ahead? Watch my latest Market Thoughts video to learn more.

Yesterday, the Fed announced that it was cutting rates one more time, in response to continued economic weakness. That decision was the treat. Markets responded accordingly, with stock markets rising. The trick, however, was in the implication—of the statement and the press conference—that this would be the last cut unless the economy deteriorated further. The implied probability of a December rate cut dropped to 22 percent, the dollar index dropped, and the rate on the 10-year Treasury declined. The Fed giveth and the Fed taketh away.

There is a lot of economic data coming out this week: consumer confidence, third-quarter economic growth, personal income and spending, the ISM Manufacturing number, the jobs report on Friday, and, of course, the Fed’s decision on interest rates (which, if you haven't heard, resulted in another quarter-point cut this afternoon). We will get a much better understanding of where we are by the end of the week, and we will talk about what all that data means.

Yesterday, the market—or at least the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100—hit new records. Again. But should we care? And do these most recent highs tell us anything about the future?

Last week’s economic updates largely disappointed, with housing sales, durable goods orders, and consumer confidence all declining. Upon closer inspection, however, we found some positive developments, with continued year-over-year housing growth as a highlight. This week will be very busy, with the Fed’s October rate-setting meeting, the first report on third-quarter GDP growth, and the October jobs report all on the docket.

One of the topics I get a lot of questions about when speaking to clients is the trade war. They want to know what I think and whether whatever they’ve read in the latest headline will make a big difference. It has been a remarkably consistent question, through all the ups and downs, and the only difference is what exactly the latest headline is. My answer has also been consistent. I think the trade war is a big deal, but the latest headline doesn’t really matter. Why? Because the damage has already been done. It will just take a while to show up.

Normally, I don’t make predictions about where any individual economic stat will come out. There is enough noise in the system, and enough variance in the data collection process, that any individual report's results can vary enormously—and it still won’t mean anything.

I have written versions of this post before, but it is demanding to be written again. So, here we go.

WeWork has been one of the trending business topics in recent weeks. The collapse of its initial public offering, followed by the ouster of its CEO and founder, and now the drama over whether (and if) the company will be rescued have provided some compelling drama. It has played out more like a TV show than an actual company. Watch for the movie shortly, I expect.