Over the weekend, attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities disrupted 5.7 million barrels per day of production, approximately 5% of the world’s daily output. Oil prices have spiked (+15%) as a result, with the administration authorizing the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and hinting at possible military action. For investors, headlines such as these may naturally spark concern. Continue reading
The stock market extended its winning streak to three weeks, with value-oriented sectors leading the market closer to all-time highs. The S&P 500 (+1.0%) climbed back above the 3,000 level while the Dow Jones (+1.6%) rose back above 27,000. Continue reading
With the markets fluctuating on a day-to-day basis from headlines such as U.S.-China trade and Federal Reserve monetary policy, it’s important to maintain perspective on the overall health of the U.S. economy. Continue reading
The stock market rallied for the second straight week, supported by developments in trade, politics, and encouraging economic data. The S&P 500 (+1.8%), Nasdaq Composite (+1.8%), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (+1.5%) each increased at least 1.5%. The Russell 2000 (+0.7%) trailed its larger-cap peers. Continue reading
The S&P 500 rose 2.8% this week, snapping a four-week losing streak as the market turned more optimistic on trade dealings with China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 3.0%, the Nasdaq Composite increased 2.7%, and the Russell 2000 increased 2.4%. Continue reading
Initial public offerings (IPOs) often attract initial public interest – especially when familiar brands become broadly available to investors for the first time. Continue reading
Of the market and economic indicators that usually precede recessions, none receives quite the attention as the steepness of the yield curve. It’s for this reason that markets reacted with uncertainty to last week’s intra-day yield curve inversion – the first since 2007. What does this mean for long-term investors and what’s different this time? Continue reading
The stock market finished lower this week in another wild ride on Wall Street. The S&P 500 (-1.0%), Dow Jones Industrial Average (-1.5%), and Russell 2000 (-1.3%) lost at least 1.0%, while the Nasdaq Composite (-0.8%) fared slightly better. Continue reading
In 2014, Wells Fargo published the findings of a study that focused on how American families communicate about personal finance. They discovered that money is harder for families to talk about than death! Continue reading
For investors who focus too much on day-to-day headlines, the fact that several market and economic concerns have become intertwined is a major challenge. The recent Fed rate cut was partly in response to U.S.-China trade talks. Continue reading