Category: economy

Global Economic Surprise Index Plummets

Commentary Investor sentiment is clearly bullish. The CNN Fear and Greed Index for June 18, 2023, stood at 82, which signals “extreme greed.” This is a drastic, optimistic move after closing at “greed” (56 over 100) a month before and “extreme fear” (17 over 100) only one year ago. However, in the same period, the…


What Is a Gold IRA Rollover?

In today’s uncertain economic climate, many people are looking for ways to hedge their retirement accounts to combat inflation. Gold IRAs allow investors to put their money into precious metals. While many people feel that their standard employer-provided 401(k) will be enough to sustain them through their golden years, more and more people are waking up to…


Don’t Let the Fed Pause Become a Fed Surrender to a Higher Inflation Target Rate

The Federal Reserve announced on June 14 that it has “paused” its relentless pace of interest-rate hikes for the first time in 15 months.  In March,2022, the Fed commenced  hikes, then continued as follows: Fed Meeting Rate Increase  Target Rate March 15–16, 2022 +25 basis points 0.25–0.5 percent May 3–4, 2022 +50 basis points 0.75–1.0…


Dollar Nudges Up, UK Pound Near 14-month Highs Ahead of BoE Decision

LONDON—The dollar edged higher on Monday as investors digested a slew of monetary policy decisions by central banks last week and looked ahead to a crunch decision by the Bank of England on Thursday. Currency market moves have been dominated by central bank efforts globally to curb high inflation, with the dollar index sliding to…


Oil Falls on China Growth Uncertainties

LONDON—Oil prices fell on Monday as questions over China’s economy outweighed OPEC+ output cuts and the seventh straight drop in the number of oil and gas rigs operating in the United States. Brent crude fell 17 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $76.44 a barrel by 0944 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost…


Stocks Rally Stalls, Eyes Powell Testimony for Rate Clues

LONDON, SYDNEY—Global shares drifted on Monday, consolidating gains after hitting a 14-month high last week, as investors awaited testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in markets that remain dominated by monetary policy bets. The MSCI’s broad gauge of world stocks was steady, with Wall Street markets closed for the Juneteenth holiday. In Europe,…


Treasurer Allays Recession Fears as Economy Slows

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is confident Australia is not heading towards a recession despite some economists warning the path to a soft landing from soaring inflation is narrowing. He says the Australian economy might stutter as interest rates lift, but neither the Reserve Bank nor Treasury are anticipating a recession. “We do expect the Australian economy to…


‘Fastest and Most Aggressive’ Tightening Policy Could Trigger US Recession: Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo Investment Institute is predicting a recession in the United States this year as a result of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary tightening policy. Wells Fargo is expecting a “global slowdown,” including a “moderate” recession in the United States this year, followed by a U.S.-led recovery in 2024, the firm’s 2023 Midyear Outlook report…


Cumulative Impacts From California Exodus Costs State Nearly $500 Billion, Will Get Worse: Economist

Recent Internal Revenue Service data showing a net loss of more than 425,000 people between 2021 and 2022 indicates California is losing residents to states with lower or no income tax, according to a Chapman University professor. “We are losing more of the high-income earners than the low-income earners, and it’s an increasing proportion of…


‘Big Rally’ Before ‘Big Collapse’: BofA Strategist Does Not See a Bull Market

Michael Hartnett, a strategist at the Bank of America, is warning investors that the current market rally may not last long and could be followed by a large decline. The S&P 500 has risen by over 15 percent year-to-date as of June 16. Recently, the index rose 20 percent above its low hit on Oct….