The Markets

Hold on to your hats!

The Markets

It was a turkey of a week.

The United States and China continued to spar over trade and other issues. An expert from Moody’s told Frank Tang of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) the United States-China dispute will not be easily resolved:

The Markets

How are you feeling about financial markets?

Some votes are still being counted but investors appear to be happy with the outcome of mid-term elections. Major U.S. stock indices in the United States moved higher last week, and the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Sentiment Survey reported:

The Markets

Stocks recovered some ground last week and then stumbled over unemployment.

Major U.S. stock indices faltered Friday after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on a popular ‘lagging’ economic indicator – unemployment. (Remember, lagging indicators describe what has happened in the past.) The BLS reported:1, 2, 3

The Markets

Why did the stock market fall when the economy is doing well?

The answer is that one reflects the past and the other anticipates the future.

The Markets

The world remains full of opportunities and challenges.

The Markets

Like an unexpected gust of wind that blows the hat off your head or flips your umbrella inside out, last week’s stock market performance startled investors.

The Markets

The stock market tends to be a leading economic indicator.

Last week offered some insight to economics and stock market behavior. The U.S. unemployment rate reached its lowest level since 1969 and wages moved higher, yet major U.S. stock indices lost value.

Why didn’t stock markets move higher?

The Markets

It wasn’t headline news…

But, if newsprint was still popular, last week’s key economic news would have appeared below the fold.

The Markets

Did you hear the news?