Financial markets were remarkably calm last week. Many stock markets in the United States, Europe, and Asia moved higher as investors chose to focus their attention on the minutes of the October 27-28, 2015 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, which were released on Wednesday, rather than recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Lebanon, Mali, […]
And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said… U.S. job growth surpassed expectations in October. About 271,000 jobs were created across diverse industries: professional and business services, health care, retail, construction, and others. That was a significantly higher number than predicted by economists who participated in a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal. They […]
Central banks were at it again – and markets loved it. Last week, European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi surprised markets when he indicated the ECB’s governing council was considering cutting interest rates and engaging in another round of quantitative easing. The Economist explained European monetary policy was heavily tilted toward growth before the […]
The Markets How quickly emotions have changed since August. Worry? Angst? It’s already priced into the markets, according to some experts. Last week, Barron’s published the results of its Big Money Poll, a biannual survey of professional investors and money managers. A majority of those surveyed (55 percent) were bullish about U.S. markets’ prospects through June […]
They’re investors. They’re allowed to change their minds. Just a few weeks ago, on September 17, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to leave the fed funds rate unchanged. In part, this was because, “Recent global economic and financial developments may restrain economic activity somewhat and are likely to put further downward pressure […]
Well, third quarter was a humdinger. It began with the first International Monetary Fund (IMF) default by a developed country (Greece) and finished with Hurricane Joaquin possibly headed toward the east coast. In between, China’s stock market tumbled, the Federal Reserve tried to interpret conflicting signals, and trade growth slowed globally. After such a stressful […]
Oh, the uncertainty! Investors are keeping one eye on the Federal Reserve and the other on politicians trying to determine what may happen during the last quarter of the year. The Fed, which is the central bank of the United States, is responsible for conducting monetary policy with an eye toward full employment and stable […]
As Tom Petty often sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Whether it’s waiting for college acceptance letters, medical test results, employment offers, or Federal Reserve monetary policy changes, waiting can produce a lot of anxiety. A 2012 research paper written by Associate Professor Kate Sweeney and Graduate Fellow Sara Andrews of the University of […]
The market is as streaky as a slice of bacon. U.S. stock markets have been sliding higher. They’ve been sliding lower. Barron’s reported the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has tumbled from gains to losses and back again for 10 weeks in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Index has tagged along with nine weeks […]