As a member of Wilmington Trust’s Investment Committee, Luke develops forecasts of the U.S. and international economies, as well as researches emerging issues to support and enhance the firm’s investment strategy. Luke is also responsible for communicating the economic outlook and investment strategy to clients and the public.
Prior to joining Wilmington Trust in 2015, Luke was officer and economic advisor with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, Luke worked as a senior economist at IHS Global Insight and as an economist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Luke holds a master’s degree and PhD in economics from Temple University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from James Madison University. He is a former adjunct faculty member at Temple University and formerly served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Economic Association. In addition, Luke is a former president of the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics, a chapter of the National Association for Business Economics.
September 20, 2019 — The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points (0.25%) on Wednesday for the second time this year. The move was very much expected by the market and therefore did not have much of an impact that day. The newly released projections by committee members showed that some think it would be best to reduce rates again this year, while others think it more appropriate to hold at this new level going forward.
August 23, 2019 – Today, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave his highly anticipated speech at the Fed’s annual research conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Markets were abuzz ahead of time trying to divine whether he would tip his hand and reveal his inclination to reduce rates again at the upcoming September meeting, or if he would signal reluctance and disappoint equity investors. Reactions to the speech have been mixed, with some news outlets portraying it as straddling the line.
July 24, 2019 – Expectations for Federal Reserve action have been on quite a rollercoaster since late 2018 when equity markets fell sharply and interest rates plummeted. This year has been no different and swings in expectations continue this week, and will likely continue until they make their announcement next Wednesday, July 31.
