Author: Christina Michalczak

The Markets This is not the inflation you’re looking for… In general, everyone who buys goods or services in the United States would prefer to see prices trend lower – and that’s what happened in the earlier part of this year. Over the last couple of months, though, inflation has begun to creep higher. Last… Read more »

The Markets Are financial markets too complacent? In Aesop’s fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a young shepherd repeatedly raises a false alarm. Eventually, the people in his village ignore his warnings. When a wolf appears, the villagers pay no attention to the boy’s cries, confident that “nothing ever happens”. Some pundits fear investors have… Read more »

The Markets Like riders on a giga coaster, investors experienced fear and exhilaration during the second quarter of 2025. From April through June, investors rode markets up and down, banking through twists of news and events that had market moving potential. They swooped through the uncertain impact of tariffs on economic growth and inflation; the… Read more »

The Markets Major U.S. stock indexes raced to new highs last week. In a remarkable recovery from April’s double-digit downturn, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index raced to a new record high last week, and so did the Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq). Key drivers behind the ascent included: Investor optimism. Last week, the “Bull… Read more »

The Markets Investors are taking it all in stride. As Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes last week, stock markets in the United States remained relatively steady, reported Michael Msika and Phil Serafino of Bloomberg. “On June 13th, as the bombs began to fly, S&P 500 futures fell by 1.6 [percent]. But as the hours… Read more »

The Markets Investors had a lot to think about last week. A wealth of positive company and economic news lifted markets for much of last week. However, markets stumbled on news that Israel had launched an attack against Iran. Here’s what happened: U.S. – China negotiations were positive. U.S. stock markets welcomed news that the… Read more »

The Markets Employment was top of mind for financial markets last week. Economists and investors hoped May employment information would provide insight to the state of the United States economy, as well as clues about when the Federal Reserve (Fed) may lower the federal funds rate again. Employment data arrives in two reports that offer… Read more »

The Markets Consumers were feeling cautiously optimistic. When people talk about the United States economy, they’re usually referring to gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of all goods and services produced in here. For the first quarter of this year, U.S. GDP was nearly $30 trillion. That’s a huge number. It would take… Read more »

The Markets Nobody likes to balance the budget. Some pundits said Moody’s rating downgrade of U.S. Treasuries was a nothing burger. After all, the rating change didn’t provide investors with any new information. Moody’s was the third rating service to lower U.S. government bond ratings. S&P Global downgraded U.S. Treasuries in 2011, and Fitch Ratings… Read more »

The Markets Last week, the U.S. stock market showed why it’s a good idea to stay invested through bouts of volatility. Major U.S. stock indices notched sizeable gains as investors celebrated a trade truce with China and better-than-expected inflation numbers, while brushing off a tepid consumer sentiment reading. Here’s what happened: The administration negotiated a… Read more »