Stocks surged as Wall Street scaled back its recession fears, the S&P 500 trading at its highest level since April 2022, by the close of trading on Tuesday July 25. "Investors have changed their outlook on the economy," says DICK BOVE, chief financial strategist at ODEON CAPITAL GROUP. "They have made the decision that inflation is dead or dying, that there's one more final US rate hike. Jobs are continuing to grown." Still, there's a batch of negative indicators, including the bond market, which flies in the face of this stock market rally, according to MAT VAN ALSTYNE, ODEON co-founder and managing partner. Numerator's latest Consumer Sentiment Study also shows consumers' strong level of concerns about the US economy, says JOHN AIDAN BYRNE. Despite the high levels of public and personal debt, BOVE says it is still consistent with a growing US economy even as consumers run out of credit-fueled steam. Meanwhile, BOVE explains why the FDIC has issued a warning to US banks on their uninsured deposits, the key element in the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. BOVE also took aim at the FDIC, the US government agency which facilitates insurance for bank depositors. "The FDIC didn't recognizxe that the increase in interest rates could reduce the value of bank assts." Elsewhere, the CONVERSATION takes a closer look at the latest UN forecast on national populations. The EU countries are forecast to see a drop in populations. The US, meanwhile, is grappling with its own demographic crisis with repeared calls for a steady stream of immigrants.Join ODEON CAPITAL CONVERSATIONS for a Live Webinar, Unmasking the Economy, hosted by Geeks, Geezers & Googlization, Thursday July 27 @ For More Information on the Webinar & Questions: [email protected]