Why did the U.S. stock markets finish the week lower? There are few factors that come into play. We're still facing the issue of inflation and after the inflation report was released, investors recalibrated their expectations to include a federal rate increase. Today's Peek of the Week explores three other factors that could be contributing to stocks finishing lower: the U.S. Treasury yield curve percentage, escalating geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, plus declining consumer sentiments. The reality is that there is no single answer that contributes to a stock market decrease and tremendous uncertainty lies ahead. Also, how nature holds the power to CURE us…
Read MoreJanuary presented us with a month of stock market decline but last Friday's gain "snapped a three-day streak of losses and left the S&P 500 up 0.8 percent for the week." Today's #PeekoftheWeek lists some possible reasons why the first weekly gain of the year took a few weeks to occur and how economic expansion is leading us to more space exploration. Take our "space economy" quiz to find out how much you know!
Read MoreIf you aren't familiar with the 'January Barometer', today's Peek of the Week describes it like this: as goes January, so goes the year. . . As we know, people do not make perfect financial decisions and the predictive values associated with the January Barometer aren't perfect, either. So what's going on? Last week we saw U.S. stock indices move lower because of inflation, the pandemic and Federal Reserve policy. One thing is very clear: the global economy stays resilient, requiring new and innovative adaptations around the world.
Read MoreThe Fed's minutes from their December meeting were released last week and investors found themselves surprised by "the change in tone" for future outlooks. Our Peek of the Week tells the story of the Federal Reserve and how 2020 forced our country to make adjustments to avoid a deep recession or depression, and how we continue to pivot going forward.
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