Chart of the Week

Oil prices moved above $80 per barrel last week on a surprisingly positive jobs report and economic outlook. Over coming months, the direction of crude prices will continue to be impacted by the pace of the global economic growth. Stay tuned for new updates.

The U.S. dollar remains firm as European nations deal with fiscal uncertainty in countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal. As we’ve said before, a strong U.S. dollar will not force the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy more aggressively than they otherwise might. Hence, we’ll be watching this key economic indicator closely in the year ahead.