Raise your hand if you knew, after the March crash, that the stock market would hit record highs by the end of the year. Stop. Put it down. Nobody believes you. Even for the hardy “buy when there’s blood in the streets” crowd, throwing more money into the game when …
Read More »The Margin: 5 election results you might have missed while watching the presidential race
The 2020 U.S. presidential election has been a nail-biter, so it’s understandable if many folks were glued to Electoral College maps and races that were “too early to call” for incumbent President Donald Trump or his Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Election Night. There was still no clear winner for …
Read More »NewsWatch: Financial markets have waited patiently for fiscal stimulus. That might change soon
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE We may be retrenching to the stock market-economy disconnect of the spring, and some analysts think something’s gotta give. See full story. I’m 63, my husband is 70, we’ll have $ 90,000 a year in retirement — how can we claim our Social Security benefits? Have a …
Read More »Key Words: Elon Musk still doesn’t know whether he’s voting for Trump or Biden, but he might by Tuesday night
MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images|iStockphoto Elon Musk, who’s got your vote in November? “ ‘Let’s just see how the debates go… I think that’s going to be the thing that decides things for America.’ ” That’s his cagey answer when Kara Swisher posed the question in Monday’s episode of her “Sway” …
Read More »Outside the Box: Americans’ love affair with pickup trucks might be derailing their retirement plans
The Wall Street Journal recently shared the story of a couple who is struggling because the pandemic has upended their jobs and income. To make matters worse, they’re dealing with a massive amount of consumer debt. The article says: “The Denton, Texas, couple pay $ 4,400 a month on their …
Read More »The Margin: Refusing to wear a mask? This video clip might change your mind
A cartoon posted on a local newspaper’s Facebook page is using the Holocaust to criticize Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s order requiring masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “Lockdown Laura says: Put on your mask … and step onto the cattle car,” the caption reads. Dane Hicks, chairman of …
Read More »Coronavirus vaccine still might not lead to herd immunity in U.S., Fauci warns
The U.S. is “unlikely” to develop herd immunity to COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday, due to the likely combination of only a partially effective vaccine and the large number of people who refuse to take it. Speaking Sunday night to CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen as part of the Aspen Ideas …
Read More »The Tell: Award-winning forecaster says U.S. economy might not heal by next year, putting stocks at risk of correction
The U.S. economy might not fully return to normal until 2022, and the stock market is at risk of a correction later in the summer, a leading economic forecaster said Friday. Christophe Barraud, chief economist and strategist at Market Securities in Paris, said the best case for the U.S. economy …
Read More »Mark Hulbert: Why the long run might not bail out your stock portfolio after all
If we’re being honest, the range of possible coronavirus-related economic outcomes is huge — all the way from “happy days are here again” to a new Dark Ages. I raise these possibilities by way of commenting on Warren Buffett’s subdued confidence at Berkshire Hathaway’s BRK.A, +1.73% BRK.B, +1.93% annual meeting …
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