The Long Ascent of the S&P 500
No one knows what will happen tomorrow on Wall Street. Even the most esteemed analysts can only make educated guesses. As the old saying goes: past performance is not indicative of future results.
September Economic Update
Fears about the health of China’s economy rocked Wall Street and other stock markets last month. Not one consequential foreign benchmark posted an August gain. The housing sector and job creation offered some bright spots but they were not enough to divert attention from China’s economic woes.
It Happened Last Week – – –
In case you missed the news, the US stock markets slumped last week. While this may be scary, this is something we’ve been expecting for some time.
Social Security COLA and Online Scams
In 2015, Social Security recipients got a small 1.7 percent Cost of Living raise but for 2016 there is no COLA. Also in this issue, how to spot online scams. Read more in our August newsletter.August Economic Update
As the quarter ended, the Bureau of Economic Analysis unveiled its initial estimate of second quarter growth: a decent 2.3%. However, June retail sales and personal spending numbers were released by the Commerce Department, and they were disappointing. To be positive, the latest Labor Department report showed no letup in the pace of hiring, with employers adding 223,000 new workers in June. Given this mixed bag of late spring and early summer statistics, investors wondered if the Federal Reserve might hold off on a rate hike until late in the year.