Technological progress in the last two centuries, and especially in the recent past, has been nothing short of amazing. So why are we so unhappy? Why aren’t we all rich?

The economy co-exists and interacts with broader society, including government. Public policies—and the political processes that determine them—can change the economy in deep and lasting ways. We may not like them, but we can’t ignore them.

This week’s inflation numbers were mostly positive and benign for the U.S. economy as well as for the Federal Reserve (Fed) and confirms our view that, at least for now, the Fed is done increasing interest rates for this monetary tightening cycle.

Political brinkmanship in Washington adds to concerns about the economy.

Review the latest portfolio strategy commentary from Mike Gibbs.

It would appear that the decline in European natural gas prices has contributed to an increase in Eurozone GDP estimates for the year. Once prices crossed below $50, GDP estimates began to rise, and now the consensus expects .6% GDP growth from the Eurozone this year.

The Banking emergency arising with mid-sized, regional banks is a direct consequence of policy decisions. Examine the causes of bank failures in 2023 and the potential for larger contagion.

China reported year-over-year inflation last night at just 0.1%, 0.2% lower than expectations. Clearly, China’s reopening is not creating price pressures, which brings the strength of the reopening into question.

Corporate America, one of the few reliable purchasers of equities in this bear market, is retreating from its buying binge, fresh evidence that the Federal Reserve-induced slowdown is taking a toll on business sentiment.

Single-stock exchange-traded funds made a splash in the industry when they debuted last year. Now one issuer is hoping to double the existing lineup.

So far this year, the ETF industry has witnessed as much sound as fury. While we haven’t seen the record-breaking flows of past years, we have seen plenty of launch and closure activity.

This is part of a continuing series of analyze-out-loud videos prepared at the suggestion of subscribers to the FAST Graphs’ YouTube Channel on how to research stocks – and how to know when to buy or sell a stock.

Stock selection in a climate investing strategy takes more than just avoiding companies exposed to global warming risks. The process should intersect with an active search for diverse opportunities among companies helping to fight climate change, but with high-quality business models, too.

An allocation to fixed income may help investors navigate a potential recession as well as uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s policy trajectory.

The Cboe's new 1-Day Volatility Index, launched on April 24, and was built to measure the expected volatility of the S&P 500 over the next day of trading. VIX1D is a response to a surge in the use of extremely short-dated options.

VettaFi’s vice chairman Tom Lydon discussed the Teucrium AiLA Long-Short Agriculture Strategy ETF (OAIA) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.”

As investor interest in ETFs that promote higher environmental, social, and governance standards fades, more issuers are shutting down these funds.

In a market where conflicting views abound, two major Wall Street trading desks agree on one thing: US stocks will rally on any soft inflation print Wednesday that could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to halt its tightening campaign.

After moderate gains in March, markets continued to rally in April. U.S. markets were up by low single digits, while bond markets were moderately positive. International markets were mixed, with developed markets showing modest gains while emerging markets ticked down.

Pay attention to the bond diversification, resiliency quality stocks may offer, and current allocation to cash within portfolios in the wake of Fed action.

Economic reports and corporate data last week highlighted the cautious stance of corporations, contrasted against a resilient consumer, who continues to be propped up by strong demand in the labor market and increasing wages.

A group of firms including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Microsoft Corp, Deloitte, and Cboe Global Markets Inc are joining a new blockchain system aimed at linking disparate institutional applications, potentially encouraging broader adoption of distributed ledger technology in financial markets.

Bill Gross, the former chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co., recommended buying short-term Treasury bills, expecting the debt-ceiling issue eventually gets resolved.

When March’s bank failures ignited a historic bond rally, few, if any, made more money than Josh Barrickman. His army of funds gained roughly $26 billion, the equivalent of more than $1 billion in paper profits every single trading session.

ChatGPT is generating excitement about the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to reshape the business. For investment firms, AI can help execute many menial functions to free up analysts for deeper research dives, armed with more information than they could ever process alone.

Yes, we have banking problems. No, this is not 2008. It’s much more like the 1970s Savings & Loan problems.

Here’s what you can do to make your website compliant with the ADA and accessible to all.

For firms looking to hire tech talent this year, here are some critical components to consider.

Today’s competitive landscape is creating an interesting opportunity for discussions between money managers and their small business owner clients looking to incorporate more technology-centric investments into their portfolios.

For this edition of Bull vs. Bear, Karrie Gordon and Nick Peters-Golden debated the long-term investing case for gold ETFs. Have the yellow metal’s fundamentals fundamentally changed?

The conventional wisdom is that the pandemic induced a trend of de-globalization, as major economies decreased the reliance of their supply chains on other countries. But, according to Louis-Vincent Gave, globalization will thrive, and the focus will shift from China to India and other southern hemisphere countries.

Many investors are choosing to access bitcoin and broader crypto themes through traditional ETF wrappers due to their relative simplicity and familiarity.

VettaFi’s Dave Nadig and Host Nate Geraci debate a wide range of prospective ETF ideas offered by “Fintwit”.

Investors are bailing on preferred shares at a historic clip because of the growing concern about the health of US regional banks.

Hedge funds supercharged bearish Treasury bets to historic levels just days before the US banking turmoil took a turn for the worse and spurred a stampede for the world’s safest assets.

World economic growth is slowing. That’s so obvious, very few will disagree. I suppose there are people out there predicting imminent 1990s-like expansion, but they are few and far between. If recession begins soon, it will be the most anticipated one in history.

The U.S. regional banking crisis is intensifying as rising interest rates put smaller banks at risk, leading to significant losses in the sector. Amid the turmoil, gold and gold mining stocks may offer investors a potentially safer alternative to manage risk.

Japan’s business and government leaders have undertaken efforts to revitalize the country’s economy. Dina Ting, Franklin Templeton ETFs’ Head of Global Index Portfolio Management, discusses some of these positive developments.

An investment in Comcast today offers the opportunity to more capital appreciation with a margin of safety, a dividend yield approaching 3%, and is growing rapidly.

On the heels of its 10th consecutive rate hike since March 2022, the Federal Reserve hedged its bets on pausing rate adjustments.

Apple Inc. rallied Friday after reporting a rebound in iPhone sales last quarter, helping the world’s most valuable company top earnings estimates and weather an industrywide downturn that has battered much of its product lineup.

Crowded equity trades and possible policy remediation for US regional banks may bring an end to a trade that’s roiled broader markets but proved lucrative for some short sellers.

The Fed and its loose monetary policy are to blame, according to Lacy Hunt, for high inflation, excessive risk taking, slow growth and other maladies afflicting our economy.

I want to write a bit about artificial intelligence from the standpoint of a market person who knows little about technology.

Floating-rate bank loans tend to do well when conditions are just right: the Federal Reserve is raising rates and the economy is growing. But such conditions typically don’t last long.

The Fed raised short-term interest rates by another quarter percentage point today to a range of 5.00 – 5.25%, just like most analysts and investors expected. In addition, policymakers made changes to its official statement that hint that this rate hike might be the last of the cycle.

Within hours of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision, traders and commentators alike had started to challenge Chair Jerome Powell’s assessment of the economy.

PacWest Bancorp has become the latest focal point of investor concern about the health of US regional banks, shedding nearly half its value in premarket trading, a day after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said authorities were closer to containing the turmoil that’s claimed four lenders this year.

VettaFi’s vice chairman Tom Lydon discussed the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.”