Economic Performance/Indicators

The threat of runaway inflation is still relevant

The threat of runaway inflation is still relevant

Illustration by Risto Avramovski Text size About the Author: Pierre Cramer is Senior Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Insurance Asset Management at SLC management. This comment reflects his personal opinions. The trajectory of risky assets in 2023 depends on how far the Federal Reserve is willing to go with its interest rate hikes to …

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Why stock investors shouldn't count on a "Santa Claus" rally this year

Why stock investors shouldn’t count on a “Santa Claus” rally this year

Investors, like children on Christmas Eve, expect Santa Claus to come down the chimney, walk to Wall Street and deliver the rewarding gift of a stock market rally. This year, however, investors might be better off betting on a lump of coal, rather than waiting for tangible stock market gains to emerge this holiday season, …

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Opinion: Household wealth plummets by $13.5 trillion, second-worst drop on record

Opinion: Household wealth plummets by $13.5 trillion, second-worst drop on record

US households lost an estimated $6.8 trillion in wealth in the first three quarters of 2022 as the SPX stock market, -0.73% DJIA, -0.90% COMP, -0.70% has lost more than 25% of its value, the Federal Reserve reported Friday in the government’s quarterly financial accounts. Nominal net worth fell 4.6% to $143.3 trillion, as the …

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Financial markets are issuing a warning that a recession is imminent: here's what it means for equities

Financial markets are issuing a warning that a recession is imminent: here’s what it means for equities

Across markets, familiar trading patterns for stocks, bonds and commodities that have held for months are starting to unravel as financial markets grapple with expectations that the US economy will sink. into a recession next year, market analysts told MarketWatch. The S&P 500 SPX index, +0.75% had its longest losing streak in nearly two months …

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The U.S. economy won't collapse under the "weight" of the Fed based on how these sectors perform despite inflation and oil risks

The U.S. economy won’t collapse under the “weight” of the Fed based on how these sectors perform despite inflation and oil risks

Investors are trying to read the tea leaves on a choppy U.S. stock market to gauge whether its recent rise can continue after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell sparked bullish sentiment in late November by indicating that his aggressive stock hikes interest rates could slow. “Stock market management is telling you that the economy is …

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Consumers are starting to act as if recession is imminent

Consumers are starting to act as if recession is imminent

Text size Consumer dissatisfaction is worse among households earning less than $50,000 a year, writes Dana M. Peterson. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images About the Author: Dana M. Peterson is chief economist at the Conference Board. Consumers sense that a recession is imminent and are beginning to behave accordingly. They become more and more unhappy by …

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Opinion: High debts and stagflation will bring the mother of all financial crises

Opinion: High debts and stagflation will bring the mother of all financial crises

NEW YORK (Project Syndicate) – The global economy is heading for an unprecedented confluence of economic, financial and debt crises, following the explosion of deficits, borrowing and debt over the past few decades. In the private sector, the mountain of debt includes that of households (such as mortgages, credit cards, car loans, student loans, personal …

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Fed will likely need to keep interest rates above 5% through 2024 to successfully control inflation, says Bullard

Fed will likely need to keep interest rates above 5% through 2024 to successfully control inflation, says Bullard

The Federal Reserve will likely need to keep its benchmark policy rate north of 5% for most of 2023 and into 2024 to successfully control inflation, St. Louis Fed Chairman James Bullard said. during an interview with MarketWatch. “I think we’ll have to stay there through 2023 and into 2024,” Bullard told MarketWatch economics editor …

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“Most economists predict a recession in 2023”: I own a rental property.  Is it the right time to take out a bank loan and renovate or should I wait?

“Most economists predict a recession in 2023”: I own a rental property. Is it the right time to take out a bank loan and renovate or should I wait?

Dear MarketWatch, Along with a sibling, I own a 40+ bedroom rental property in the Caribbean, where we do weekly rentals. It is near the city center but needs repairs and renovations. Is it a good time to go to the bank for a renovation loan? We are also open to changing our business model. …

“Most economists predict a recession in 2023”: I own a rental property. Is it the right time to take out a bank loan and renovate or should I wait? Read More »

Here are four worrying signs that inflation may persist, from a bond fund manager

Here are four worrying signs that inflation may persist, from a bond fund manager

What last week’s consumer prices and then Tuesday’s producer price index data both show is that the market was pricing in more bad news on the inflation front than of relief, and therefore large short cover rallies when the data is weaker than expected. SocGen This graph from Societe Generale clearly shows that the biggest …

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