Category: Market Insights

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA After years of extreme volatility marked by the pandemic recovery, inflation and rate spikes, conflict-driven supply shocks, and AI mania, 2026 has opened with something in short supply: relative calm. Broadly stable economic indicators point to the economy at large, and especially in the Midwest, beginning to level off. Key regional indicators reflect this trend: Iowa’s…

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA and Ryan Goetzinger, CFA As the AI boom accelerates demand for energy, utility services have become one of the most resilient and investable sectors in the current M&A environment. The next five years are likely “game on” for energy infrastructure buildout, but selectivity and underwriting rigor remain key.  Key Takeaways  Over…

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA “The Set-up”  Coca-Cola Company (KO – NYSE) today needs no introduction. From humble beginnings in downtown Atlanta,  now Coca-Cola’s market cap makes it the second largest consumer packaged goods company in the United States, bested only by Procter and Gamble. Coke’s success is undeniable, but savvy students of business and marketing…

By: Brett Peterson, CFA and Owen Gerard, CFA During the time of British rule of colonial India, the government became concerned about the number of venomous cobras in Delhi. Leaders came up with a clever solution – pay a bounty to any citizen who brought forward a dead cobra. Initially, the program was a success,…

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA and Zach Eubank As we enter 2025, the usual suspects are likely to be the key drivers of the business environment in Iowa: interest rates, inflation, and the policy decisions that drive them. We look at much of the rest as noise. Firstly, interest rates. While on one hand there is…

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA Excerpt from interview with Eric Lohmeier, CFA  in  “Iowa manufacturers outline advancements, challenges from integrating AI, robotics, vision systems to production” By Sarah Diehn in The Business Record June 14, 2024  The No. 1 priority for Iowa and manufacturers writ large is effectively instituting, and, more importantly, mandating uptake across the organization…

By: Eric Lohmeier, CFA The year that was 2023 feels eerily similar to the first days of 2024.  Two plus feet of snow in the first few weeks, scrambling during school and event cancellations, and wait for it, looking through to February which hands us an extra day this year!  However, hope springs eternal, and…

By: Owen Gerard, CFA Imagine yourself situated in a picturesque rural landscape, with rolling hills, verdant fields, and a bright blue sky overhead. You take your seat at a beautifully hand-crafted wooden table surrounded by your family and friends ready to enjoy a succulent meal from a bountiful harvest provided by the local land. The…