Market Insights

A lot of factors influence the United States stock market, including economic trends, market sentiment, and government and Federal Reserve (Fed) policies. Read more

Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke has said that “monetary policy is 98 percent talk and only 2 percent action.” He meant that public statements are powerful tools that can shape the market’s expectations around future Fed actions. Read more

Sometimes, the road is rough. In the early 1900s, riding in new-fangled automobiles was a bone-jarring and physically exhausting experience. Roads were unpaved and rutted, jolting passengers relentlessly. Read more

It was a rough week for Wall Street. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) fell about 1.5 percent, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.8 percent, and the Dow posted its weakest weekly performance since late March, reported Naomi Buchanan of Barron’s. Read more

A lot has changed since 1989. Back then, there were no smartphones or streaming services. There wasn’t an app for anything. The first digital camera arrived the previous year, and the first handheld global positioning system (GPS) became available in 1989. While technology began reshaping everyday life, another change began… Read more

The market slipped every punch during the first six months of 2026, and there were a lot of them: the Iran War, gyrating oil prices, rising inflation, changed interest rate expectations, employment concerns, and mounting national debt. Each issue stepped into the ring swinging and, while the market staggered occasionally,… Read more

Last week, inflation was on the minds of investors after one of the Federal Reserve (Fed)’s favorite inflation gauges showed inflation at a three-year high. Both headline and core inflation were well above the Fed’s two percent target. Read more

Last week, President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. Stock and bond markets welcomed the news. “Investors are hopeful the 14-point framework will lead to the Strait of Hormuz reopening, which could drag down oil prices and help tame inflation,” reported George Glover of… Read more

Investors had a lot to consider last week. Rising inflation, interest rate uncertainty, and ongoing conflict in the Middle East weighed on markets. Yet stocks finished the week higher amid hopes for peace, enthusiasm for a stock launch, and improved consumer sentiment. Read more

There was some good news and some bad news last week. Let’s start with the good news: Employment gains exceeded expectations last month. Employers in the United States added 172,000 new jobs in May, similar to April’s 179,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3 percent, the average… Read more