AI’s Job Effect, US Oil, & Dividend Growth Stocks

Each week, the Stokes Family Office staff puts together a list of our favorite news and updates on all things wealth management. From financial planning, portfolio construction, tax and estate planning, retirement plan services to anything we found interesting.  Enjoy this week’s curated list for your weekend reading!

ECONOMY NEWS

The US Oil Shale Industry Is Doing More With Less

• American oil production is holding up despite Saudi Arabia and Russia driving prices down.

Goodbye, $165K Tech Jobs. Student Coders Seek Work at Chipotle.

• As companies like Amazon and Microsoft lay off workers and embrace AI coding tools, computer science graduates say they’re struggling to land tech jobs.

The Consumer Inflation Transition Continues

• Headline inflation is easing slowly, but core inflation is stubbornly steady.

Related:

• • Trade Deals, Tariffs, & Housing
  • Housing, AI Capex, & US Exceptionalism
  • Bonds, Tariffs, & Jobless Claims
  • SFO Quarterly Review: Q2 2025

MARKETS NEWS

The Surprising Truth About Dividend Growth Stocks

• The dividend growth universe is changing. Here’s what that means for investors.

The Magnificent 493

• Barry Ritholtz argues that while the Magnificent 7’s heavy concentration in the S&P 500 raises concerns, their broad tech expansions and acquisitions—what he portrays as the “Magnificent 70”—are lifting the entire market, much like past innovations did through segment-wide transformational impacts.

Ryan Detrick: Some Bad News and Some Good News

• After a strong July rally, the S&P 500 stumbled sharply on the first trading day of August—its worst single‑day drop since mid‑June—but historical patterns suggest that following three back‑to‑back strong months, the remainder of the year typically brings further gains, giving bulls reason for cautious optimism heading into year‑end.

Related:

• Stokes Family Office Ranked Top RIA Firm by Financial Advisor Magazine For Third Consecutive Year
• SFO Quarterly Review: Q2 2025
• Inflation Surprises and Calls For Rate Cuts
• Energy, Housing, & Expected Returns

CHART OF THE WEEK

From Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree’s Global Chief Investment Officer: What is the true inflation rate? There are real problems in BLS statistics, particularly with Shelter. Subbing in an average of more real-time shelter shows:

Alt Headline CPI: 2.7% ➡️ 1.84%  |  Alt Core CPI: 3.1% ➡️ 1.95%

Perhaps BLS can focus here:

Stokes Family Office is 100% Family Owned, and has been continually operating in the New Orleans Area for over 35 years.  As a family office, we are focused on family wealth, financial planning, and tax planning. We are your local experts for Gulf South wealth management. Want to hear more from our team? Check out the Lagniappe Podcast.