Thursday, December 26, 2024
After the inflation numbers came out last Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures dropped by 700 points in minutes—from above 200 points to the positive to more than 500 points down. The inflation rate of 8.3% was higher than the expected 8.1%. As one TV expert noted: “The future is messy.” Truer words […]
A few weeks ago, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell threw the stock markets under the bus with his comments about making stopping inflation the Fed’s top priority. If the central bank follows through, the result will have interest rates moving higher and staying higher for longer than stock market investors were expecting. That sent stocks […]
Last week the Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark interest rate by 0.75%. With inflation exploding higher, the Fed has, since February, pushed the rate from effectively zero percent to a current target of 2.25% to 2.50%. You may have heard or read that these higher rates are a stiff headwind for tech company growth and […]
As inflation has climbed to 40-year highs, interest rates have also ratcheted higher. For borrowers, higher rates are not a good deal, as they raise the costs of taking out loans. For investors, however, higher rates open up opportunities to invest safely and still earn a meaningful return. Today, let’s talk about an investment product […]
The hot consumer price index (CPI) number last Friday has caused major damage to the equity markets. Volatility has remained elevated. There seems to be no relief in sight regarding the inflation numbers that we are seeing across industries—and, most importantly, in our daily expenses. The Federal Reserve will do what it can to increase […]
When the Fed bailed out the banks in 2008, interest rates dropped to historic lows. Many retirees were heavily invested in CDs and quality bonds earning a safe 6% interest, paying their bills, and enjoying their golden years. Overnight, trillions in CDs and bonds were called in, savers lost a major portion of their anticipated […]
Last week I spent a few days on the road with my travel trailer. On those long driving days, I like to listen to CNBC on Sirius XM. That service is the greatest thing ever for road trips, and listening is especially fun when the market is having a big down day. You would think […]
Last fall the Fed said it began “tapering” the amount of debt securities they were buying. This Wall Street on Parade (WSOP) headline reports; “Since the Fed Announced It Was ‘Tapering’ Last November, It’s Actually Added $332 Billion in Liquidity with New Debt Security Purchases.” The Fed says one thing and does another; they continued buying debt […]
Dear Investor, High inflation has become a driving force in our lives. It’s challenging to invest for income and keep up with inflation, especially outside of commodity-focused investments. It takes an extra step to ferret out investments that will perform well while inflation stays high. We need higher interest rates. But one category of income […]
The public is on to the Fed’s inflation game! The Fed called it “transitory”. Baloney! The Fed announced: “…it is accelerating its removal of monetary support for the economy, citing a rise in inflation that has seen the biggest jump in prices nearly 40 years. In a move to cool growth, policy makers also said they expect to […]
