November marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. How important is retail and can it keep the current stock market rally going?
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) stunned markets this week by choosing not to cut back on its asset-buying program. Stimulus-thirsty investors rejoiced: not only was their proverbial punchbowl not taken away, it was refilled.
A new chair is just the beginning of what could be even bigger leadership changes at the Federal Reserve -- up to six officials could depart by early 2014.
Earlier this week, stock markets around the world put the finishing touches on what has been a sizzling month of performance in July. Even Canada’s resource-heavy TSX index rose 3% on rising energy and gold prices in July.
Market volatility over the past few weeks has shown the challenges facing the Federal Reserve’s exit from quantitative easing are immense. The question is, will they taper bond buying or won’t they?
Ever wonder if it matters which day of the week you choose to trade on?
You would think the media had learned its lesson from the non-event that was the fiscal cliff. But anxiety equals ratings in the television game, so ‘sequestration’ is on everyone's mind these days.
Last week’s accusations of Spanish government corruption and news of Italian election uncertainty should remind investors that despite last year’s European Central Bank assertion that it would do ‘whatever it takes’ to preserve the Euro, significant Eurozone risks remain just below the surface.
There’s a traders’ omen that suggests the month of January sets the tone for stock markets in the full year ahead. This seems reasonable since for the past 100 years, January’s performance has predicted the outcome of the full year 75% of the time. Not perfect, but the odds are decent.
Last week the Federal Reserve announced it will effectively double their monthly net asset purchases from $40 billion to $85 billion. The Fed also outlined a switch from their traditional date-based guidance to one based on specific economic data thresholds of employment and inflation. What does this mean for investors?