Most analysts expected some action on interest rates from the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2022 — but maybe not the five rate hikes they’re now pricing in. Inflation was clearly driving upwards, but we’re seeing much higher, more consistent price increases.
When the going gets tough in the U.S., the tough go shopping. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that retail sales surged 3.8% in January, the most in 10 months and well above the 2% median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
The mayors of Miami and New York City have taken their salaries in cryptocurrencies. An Arizona state legislator wants to declare Bitcoin legal tender. From Florida to Wyoming, state and local officials have put forth or even carried out plans to accept various taxes in digital tokens — developments sometimes touted as a challenge to the U.S. dollar’s dominance.
With many mutual funds converting into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the combination of ETF trading and net asset value is garnering more attention.
No, we did not run out of titles.
It has been a tumultuous start to the year for crypto markets to say the least.
A crash to Earth for growth stocks and cryptocurrencies is one thing, but a sharp decline in mainstream bond mutual funds could spell enormous trouble. Signs are emerging of the beginnings of a potential downward spiral in these funds, which could ultimately lead to redemption halts and subsequent panic by retail investors.
Rather than attempt to follow every twist and turn of the geopolitical drama, or all the excitement in Washington, it might be best to focus on the most vital commodity market — liquidity.
John Vail, Chief Global Strategist at Nikko Asset Management, discusses the waves of unease in our current markets due to inflation and talks of interest rate hikes and quantitative tightening, as well as how investors can best position their portfolios to ride out the waves.
The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for inflation and how the Federal Reserve will react.
Most investors are probably less diversified than they think they are.
Gold dropped from an eight-month high and wheat slid after Russia said some of its troops would return to their bases. Industrial metals including nickel held steady.
Crypto proponents have argued for years that regulators shouldn’t apply decades-old rules to the burgeoning asset class. But in a move with sweeping implications for the industry, at least one prominent company is now planning to register its offerings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A practice built on a stool of products, pricing and performance is doomed to collapse. Competent planning requires a focus on the deeper issues your clients face.
Rental prices for single-family homes grew an average of 7.8% in 2021, an all-time high, according to the most recent data available from CoreLogic Inc. In December, U.S. home rents jumped 12% year over year for the month, with Miami leading the way with a 35.7% increase.
As a financial planner, I don't get paid just to develop financial strategies for clients. I get paid to help them put sound advice into action. Advice without action accomplishes nothing.
Recruit Group delivers the digital meeting spaces of choice for matching individuals and business clients.
William Vaughan, Research Analyst at Brandywine Global outlines why – in the wake of COP26 – it may be prudent for investors to embrace ESG laggards, rather than restrict investments, and prioritize active engagement with them on their response to climate change, GHG emissions and other difficult issues.
Judging by the record number of people who’ve quit their jobs in the pandemic -– the so-called Great Resignation -– millions of Americans don’t really like their work.
The recent guidance provided by the U.S. Treasury Department on transaction reporting by crypto companies is shining some light on staking -- one of the least understood but hottest corners of the digital-asset world.
Those nearing or in retirement are worried about what higher-than-expected inflation will mean. Here are a few things to consider to temper their anxiety.
Are many of the recent problems in the world – from income and wealth inequality to China-U.S. hostility – the result of the structural overvaluation of the dollar and its reserve-currency status?
If everything goes according to plan, travel and tourism could contribute $2 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2022, compared to $1.87 trillion in the year before the start of the pandemic.
Near-zero, zero, and below-zero interest rates changed the incentive calculations and decisions from what they were a mere 30 years ago. You can’t look at policies or almost anything else prior to the early 2000s as a standard for today. The incentives of low interest rates have literally screwed (that’s a technical economic term) things up.
The term “value” is being grossly misapplied.
The rapid innovation and disruption occurring across industries, coupled with a market that is digesting dislocations stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and a flood of central bank liquidity, mean that differentiating between volatility and actual business risk is more critical than ever for growth investors with a longer time horizon.
Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data.
In recent weeks, it has felt like the U.S. stock market slips a gear every so often, dropping sharply as investors search for traction in uncertain terrain.
The price of gold may reach about $2,100 an ounce, up from its present price of around $1,800 per ounce by the end of 2022.
Why is it so hard to accept that speculative bubbles can burst?
Over the past decade, interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has grown dramatically.
Warren Buffett’s best-performing stock last year? One he’s been dumping. Wells Fargo & Co. shares delivered a total return of 61% last year, outpacing every other company listed in the most recent public snapshot of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s portfolio, as of Sept. 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Cars have been a big part of the U.S. inflation picture over the past year. Since a computer chip shortage slowed production and drove up prices for new and used vehicles, fixing those supply chain problems in 2022 was supposed to normalize the market again, helping cool inflation more broadly.
Bitcoin’s drop since its November high has been so steep that the average buyer over the last couple of months is likely underwater until it once again tops $47,000.
We may not be in a bond bear market, but we are in a bearish market for bonds. A dangerous one, even.
The spreading global bond rout is spurring a Wall Street debate on whether investors will demand to be paid for lending to the American government like they used to.
With demand waning and supplies increasing, the housing market is in for a lot of pain. Low interest rates have been a boon to housing, making mortgages more affordable and allowing consumers to refinance existing loans, with many of them tapping the equity in their homes for extra cash.
Equity markets were jolted in January amid growing concerns about macroeconomic threats.
We were watching CNBC recently and an analyst mentioned what practically nobody besides us has said.
I have charged Ken Fisher with crimes against annuities. I will begin this proceeding by expressing my gratitude for his anti-annuity advertising campaign including its famous tagline, “I hate annuities and you should too!”
I’m going to discuss some of the things my highly regarded, elite physician did that I rarely see advisors doing. There are five of them. Let’s start with the story of how I wound up in the cardiologist’s office.
As we begin 2022, there is a lot of noise in the marketplace: midterm elections, omicron and everything in between.
ICYMI: In this roundup, we’re highlighting the five most popular pieces of content from the previous week.
Market volatility is a given, but that doesn’t make its inevitable appearance any less stressful.
Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses current economic conditions.
Hedge funds have long been criticized for underperforming the bull market in stocks for the past decade. But as markets get more challenging and interest rates climb, it’s their risk-management skills – not their performance record – that could underpin an upturn in the industry’s fortunes.
A new report from the U.K.’s Cambridge University Centre for the Future of Democracy offers investors a rare chance to think about the overall economy over the next decade. The authors compiled a large global dataset that suggests some not-often-heard claims, such as that the tide of populism, nationalism and inequality has turned, and is rapidly receding in favor of a more prosperous, peaceful, egalitarian and cohesive globe in the next decade.
As investors brace for an increasingly aggressive Federal Reserve, money is flooding into cash-like ETFs -- which are seen as relatively less vulnerable to interest-rate risk. Traders have been piling into exchange-traded funds mostly focused on ultra-short instruments like Treasury bills, while offloading ETFs tracking longer-dated debt -- even those that are considered short-term bonds maturing in five years or less.
The expanded child tax credit lapsed in December as the cost of President Joe Biden’s spending plans became a sticking point in Congress. Yet amid the debate over whether its success in reducing poverty is worth its large price tag, many are missing a crucial feature: It was uniquely well-designed to address the increasingly precarious economic reality that millions of Americans experience.
For a year and a half, Chinese authorities have been trying to reduce property prices, leverage, and the economy’s dependence on the real estate industry. As defaults and distress spread, from China Evergrande Group to Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. and others, the first signs of a shift toward policy easing emerged last year.
