Plus: Dallas-based startup that has developed a conversational AI hiring solution raises $6 million; LA-based multifamily investment and development firm opens Dallas office; and more.
As I type this piece on Friday morning, I am at the O’Hare aerodrome for a flight from Chicago to San Francisco. O’Hare is packed and humming… What economic slowdown? Does my opinion on the economy matter any more than yours, or… that of the guy running JPMorgan Chase? Last June CEO Jamie Dimon warned of an economic "hurricane" down the road. “Hurricane” is pretty sensationalist, especially when it hasn’t happened. This week he told Reuters that the U.S. economy was in “good shape.” It’s a safe bet that inflation will compel the Federal Open Market Committee to hike overnight interest rates above 5% (from the 4.50%-4.75% level it's at now). The Fed believes short-term rates will continue rising. If you had any questions, two Fed officials on Wednesday essentially echoed Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish opinion. Yet bond investors seem to be shrugging some of this off! If you knew tha