Equities rallied notably last week as investors awaited this week’s Federal Reserve meeting in anticipation of at least a 25.0-basis-point reduction in interest rates. Nine of the 11 market sectors ended last week higher, led by information technology. Only financials and energy lagged. The yield on 10-year Treasuries slipped to its lowest level since May […]
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The Markets (as of market close September 6, 2024)
September has clearly gotten off to a rough start for Wall Street. Stocks plunged lower on fears of an economic decline and a waning labor market. Investors feared that the Federal Reserve, which is now more likely to drop interest rates by at least 50.0 basis points when it meets in a few weeks, may […]
Read MoreShould You Worry About Market Volatility?
On August 5, 2024, the S&P 500 Index dropped 3% from its previous close, the largest single-day loss in almost two years. This continued a three-week slide that saw the benchmark index — generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market — decline by 8.5%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite Index dropped even further, losing 3.4% […]
Read MoreThe Markets (as of market close August 30, 2024)
Despite moments of trepidation, the stock market extended its winning streak to three straight weeks. And even with its rough start, August marked the fourth month in a row of positive returns. Several encouraging reports suggested that the economy is holding up and inflation is moderating, keeping alive hopes of a soft landing and a […]
Read MoreThe Markets (as of market close August 23, 2024)
Investors finally heard what they had been waiting for after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave clear indications that the central bank will lower interest rates in September. Powell noted that the labor market has cooled and inflation is slowing. In an up and down week for stocks, each of the benchmark indexes listed here […]
Read MoreFederal Appeals Court Blocks SAVE Student Loan Repayment Plan
On August 9, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit officially blocked the SAVE student loan repayment plan in its entirety, saying the injunction would remain in place “until further order of this court or the Supreme Court of the United States.”1 The ruling replaced a temporary order issued by the same court […]
Read MoreThe Markets (as of market close August 16, 2024)
Wall Street rebounded after a rough start to the month, to close out its best week of the year. Investors saw a lot of economic data that did little to change the expectations of an interest rate reduction in September. Last week’s gains ended four straight weeks of losses, fueled by concerns that the Federal […]
Read MoreRequired Distributions: Changes You Need to Know
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) changed the rules for taking distributions from retirement accounts inherited after 2019. The so-called 10-year rule generally requires inherited accounts to be emptied within 10 years of the original owner’s death, with some exceptions. Where an exception applies, the entire account must generally be […]
Read MoreThe Markets (as of market close August 9, 2024)
Market volatility continued last week as stocks tumbled Monday and Wednesday, only to rebound at the end of last week, but not enough to avoid closing in the red for the second week in a row. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here lost value, with the small caps of the Russell 2000 falling the […]
Read MoreChaos in the Sky: New Consumer Protections for Weary Airline Passengers
Banks, hospitals, retailers, and airlines are still dealing with the fallout from the massive CrowdStrike IT outage in July. The tech meltdown impacted businesses across the globe, and airlines were hit particularly hard. This was not good news for the airline industry, which just last year had the highest number of flight delays ever recorded.1 […]
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