The Market

Farewell, 2020. Hello, 2021. It is onward and potentially upward, Superman style, for the U.S. stock market next year, based on analysts’ ambitious year-end targets for the S&P 500 index. No equity market analysts that MarketWatch surveyed for this report foresee a pullback from current levels, already observed as lofty …

Dear Moneyist, My brother-in-law is just over 40, and he has health issues. He’s also suffering from mental-health issues that have mostly been undiagnosed due to his refusal to see anyone, and essentially he does nothing but smoke weed, drink booze, and play video games. Right now his parents pay …

Before finally swiping left on 2020, let’s take a quick look back at all the reasons (and there are many) that it’s a year we’d love to forget, but definitely never will. Indeed, it’s been an absolutely terrible stretch for much the world, but an amazing one for voracious consumers …

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE Strategists aren’t eager to balk at the notion that the bull market in stocks is getting exhausted and are offering expectations for solid year-end gains and in some cases, projecting eye-popping rallies for the market in the coming 12 months. See full story. Videogames are a bigger …

Dear MarketWatch, I’m retiring in six months and live outside of Los Angeles. It’s really pricey here.   I’m 68 and my wife is 61. We will have about $ 800,000 in total savings and IRAs, and an income of $ 7,000 monthly including my Social Security. We currently rent. We …

Santa Claus may not be coming to town due to the pandemic, but he will pay a socially distant visit to Wall Street equity traders if history is any guide. Stocks have performed exceedingly well during a seasonal period that includes the year’s last five trading days and the first …

How do we get from here to retirement? Amid the financial markets’ daily turmoil, it might seem like one big crapshoot. But in truth, navigating this journey is pretty straightforward, because there are just five key variables—our time horizon, current nest egg, savings rate, target nest egg and investment return. …

Dear Moneyist, I am an Upper East Side wife and mother with two children. The residents of our building have agreed to tip our doormen, super and two gardeners who tend to our common areas 25% more this holiday season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We usually give $ 200 …

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE Strategists aren’t eager to balk at the notion that the bull market in stocks is getting exhausted and are offering expectations for solid year-end gains and in some cases, projecting eye-popping rallies for the market in the coming 12 months. See full story. ‘Real Housewives of New …