Stocks finished firmly higher Friday, capping a tumultuous week of trading in U.S. markets that concluded with the three main equity indexes booking weekly gains. But despite the upbeat note that the final full week in March delivered, strategists and market participants were chirping about a major block trade in …
Read More »FA Center: What January’s market decline means for stock returns in 2021
Move over, January: at least two other months have greater predictive power of stock-market returns than you do. January has a reputation as being able to forecast the U.S. market’s direction over the ensuing 11 months of a year. This alleged ability is known as the “January Predictor” and “January …
Read More »Janet Yellen is poised to become Treasury secretary in a Biden cabinet — and here’s what that means for cash-strapped American families
In 2014, three months into her four-year tenure leading the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen was trying to draw an important link for investors, policy makers and community development leaders. “Although we work through financial markets, our goal is to help Main Street, not Wall Street. By keeping interest rates low, …
Read More »What a Joe Biden presidency means for taxes, health care, housing, student debt — and another COVID-19 stimulus package
Joe Biden was projected Saturday to become the nation’s next president, according to the Associated Press, after campaigning on an ambitious domestic agenda he hopes will improve voters’ finances and invigorate an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Tax hikes for the rich, broadened health care coverage and student loan …
Read More »: What the Boeing subsidies case decision from the WTO means
Boeing Airplanes factory pictured in Everett, Washington state. Getty Images The World Trade Organization on Tuesday allowed the European Union to go ahead with tariffs on some $ 4 billion worth of U.S. goods, in retaliation for state subsidies extended to plane maker Boeing. The decision, which was expected, follows …
Read More »The Fed takes new approach to inflation: What it means for your savings, credit-card interest — and mortgage rate
The Federal Reserve is shaking things up — which is both good and bad news for consumers. The Fed made some of the biggest changes to its policy in years following an extended review. The central bank has revised its approach to inflation and the labor market in a move …
Read More »Market Extra: Here’s what a falling U.S. dollar means for the stock market
The U.S. dollar is looking shaky. Barring some sort of currency meltdown, a weaker dollar should be a positive for equities, though foreign stocks will likely benefit more, analysts said. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.36%, a measure of the currency against a basket of six major rivals fell …
Read More »California voters will weigh in on affirmative action in November. Here’s what that means for the rest of the country
Over the past few decades the question of whether affirmative action is an appropriate antidote to centuries of discriminatory policies have animated the court system and voting booth. As Americans have become increasingly focused on systemic racism over the past several weeks, those questions have taken on new urgency. Now, …
Read More »In One Chart: As the S&P 500 surges from March lows, investors fled the most popular stock-market fund—here’s what one analyst says that means
Tom McClellan, market technician and publisher of the McClellan Market Report, says investors are fleeing one of the most popular exchange-traded funds on Wall Street, even as stocks rally off their March lows. The State Street-sponsored SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, +1.65%, which offers investors exposure to S&P 500 …
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