Sunday, March 15th, 2026
Laramie, Wyoming
Rome didn’t immediately, or at least formally, become an Empire on this day in 44 BC. But the assassination of Julius Caesar did unleash quite a bit of chaos and civil war. The Lex Titia was passed in 43 BC and created the Second Triumvirate (Octavian, who would later become Augustus, Marc Antony, and Marcus Lepidus). Octavian defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the beginning of the Empire proper is officially dated at 27 BC.
Where does America stand today in the year of its 250th birthday? The end of Empire? The beginning? Or somewhere in the middle of a long decline, salted and peppered with inflation, financial insecurity, and the military in a constant state of war?
History aside, there’s a full slate of macro data scheduled for release in the coming week; the NY Empire State Manufacturing Index, retail sales, and pending home sales. But the big one is Wednesday is the Fed rate cut decision.
Here’s a question: If the oil price is at $150/barrel, could the Fed actually raise rates this week?
We’ll find out soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the summary of all the research we published at BPR this week.
Until tomorrow,
Dan
