Living with a bear. On the survival series “Alone,” the tension ratchets higher whenever participants encounter bears. Some participants live warily alongside bears, while others

There is a lot of uncertainty in financial markets – and markets hate uncertainty. In recent weeks, economic and financial market data have been telling

LPL Research explains why they remain optimistic that more sunshine could be coming.

Correction and contraction…. Investing during 2022 has been like running a forest trail and having unexpected obstacles appear every so often – a fallen tree,

The Federal Reserve’s Ice Bucket Challenge… Remember a few years ago when people raised money for charity by challenging others to pour buckets of icy

The first quarter of 2022 was jam-packed with volatility-inducing events: rising inflation, war in Ukraine, rising interest rates, sanctions on Russia, and a new COVID-19

LPL Research explains why this market may have a bit more left in the tank.

Checking in on the Federal Reserve. Among other things, Congress asks the Federal Reserve to use its tools to promote price stability and  maximum employment.

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. In early March, almost two-thirds of Americans who participated in a Nationwide Retirement Institute

Markets were reassured by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)’s actions last week. The FOMC met on March 16 and did exactly what most people

Investor optimism is quite low. In just two weeks, the war in Ukraine has changed the status of 1.3 million people – approximately the number

The world is adapting to a changing reality. As the war in Ukraine intensified last week, financial markets grappled with uncertainty. “After watching financial markets

The green shoots are hard to see right now as spring approaches, clouded by war in Ukraine. Democracy is under attack and innocent lives are

Last week, Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision ignited the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II. The war is already

Investors’ appetite for risk diminished as the Russian threat to Ukraine intensified. Volatility was high last week as investors guessed and second-guessed how markets would

Why did stock markets in the United States finish the week lower? If this were Jeopardy, acceptable answers to that question might include:  Rising inflation.

A rosy view through the rearview mirror. To say that economists did not have great expectations for the January employment report might be understating their

The calendar had barely flipped to 2022 and investors were reminded that even attractive long-term stock returns come with a cost: volatility. The S&P 500

Last week, the January stock market decline was interrupted by a Friday afternoon rally. “The S&P 500 rose 2.4 percent, its biggest one-day jump since

When is a barometer not a barometer? It’s widely recognized that people do not make perfect financial decisions. In fact, many investors rely on mental

Is the economy doing well, or not? If you skimmed the headlines last week, you may have seen that retail sales – the purchases we

With the New Year comes new beginnings, new goals, new challenges, new friendships, and new opportunities. 2021 was an incredible year for the economy and

2021 was a fizzing mints-in-soda kind of year. Everything seemed to shoot higher – from COVID-19 cases and vaccinations to economic growth and global stock

Investors were feeling bullish. Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index closed at a record high for the 68th time this year.

Stock and bond markets diverged. Last week, the Bank of England surprised markets with a rate hike, its first in three years, and the Bank

LPL Research Outlook 2022: Passing the Baton delivers market insights on what we can expect in the economy, policy, stocks and bonds for 2022.

Investors look to the future. Last week, employment and manufacturing data confirmed that the United States economy continued to strengthen in November, but positive economic

COVID-19 strikes again. Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Europe, climbing from about 700,000 new cases a week in September to 2.6 million

Thinking about the possibilities. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished last week slightly higher and has gained about 6 percent during the past

This guide contains the tools you need to ensure that you can address year-end planning and tax-related questions.

Economists like to joke that inflation is just right when no one notices it. Last week, investors noticed it. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which

Feeling bullish… Investor bullishness ticked higher last week on all four investor sentiment gauges tracked by Barron’s.Investor optimism may have been fanned by positive financial

The past year and a half have tested all of us, but overall, the economy continues to strengthen, COVID-19 trends are greatly improving, and this

The road to recovery is slow and bumpy. Last week, we learned that economic growth slowed in the third quarter as a new wave of

It’s MESSI! No, this commentary is not about Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer phenom who is widely regarded one of the greatest footballers of all

Many have been calling for the “death of the 60/40” for about 4 years now and yet that type of portfolio has yielded very positive

Don’t get spooked! Barron’s Big Money Poll is an exclusive survey of market sentiment among professional investors. Last week, Nicholas Jasinski reported on 2021’s findings:

The word “jouncy” may have started life as a combination of bouncy and jolting – and it’s a pretty good way to describe what happened

Central banks have a lot of influence on investors, markets and economies. For the last year or so, the Federal Reserve has been purchasing $120

In recent weeks, bullish sentiment has drifted lower like sediment settling after a storm.  Every month, Bank of America (BofA) surveys global asset managers. The

The Delta variant could take a toll on economic growth. There was some good news last week. The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in

The bull market continues, with the S&P 500 Index now up seven months in a row. Stocks have impressively gained 20% year-to-date, with the S&P

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder,” advised the Persian poet Rumi. Last week, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair

Markets were shaken last week by a potent cocktail of central bank tapering and economic growth concerns mixed with coronavirus and a splash of the

What is the most important driver of economic growth in the United States? The most common way to measure economic output is Gross Domestic Product

Are we there yet? For months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually

The Markets Shortest ever. Last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finally announced the official dates for the recession that occurred in 2020.

The Markets The term “peak growth” has become almost as popular as the comedy show Ted Lasso. Peak growth is a catchphrase with the potential

Market insights on what we can expect in the economy, policy, stocks, and bonds for the rest of 2021.

The Markets There was a gapers’ block in financial markets last week as equity investors slowed to see what the United States Treasury bond market

In the first half of 2021, the U.S. economy powered forward faster than nearly anyone had expected. Speed can be exhilarating, but it can also

The Markets The world is about halfway back to normal. The Economist developed theGlobal Normalcy Index (GNI) to measure the post-pandemic return to normal. In

The Markets What begins with the letter “I”? Infrastructure is essential and sometimes taken for granted. Pipes carry drinking water to our homes, offices, and

The Markets Is that a hawk? The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) met last week. They get together eight times a year to review

The Markets It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. Media analysts were plucking the inflation daisy petals last week. On Thursday, the

As we move into June, a path to normalcy is coming quickly with stadiums allowing full capacity, restaurants filling up, and summer vacations in full

The Markets Pulling the economy out of the shed. If you’ve ever stored tools or machinery in a shed or garage for an extended period

The Markets What do markets hate? They hate uncertainty, and recently there has been plenty of it. Some of the questions plaguing economists and pundits

The Markets Uncle Inflation is here. Will he overstay his welcome? Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have pursued expansionary monetary policies to encourage

The Markets Like a gender reveal gone wrong, last week’s employment report delivered an unexpected surprise. Economists estimated 975,000 new jobs would be created in

As the calendar has turned to May, the popular “Sell in May and Go Away” stock market cliché is getting a lot of airtime. This

The Markets It’s Spring and economic recovery is in the air. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the U.S. economy grew at a

The Markets It wasn’t just the price of pork chops. Last week, as investors weighed the news, strong corporate earnings were offset by higher grocery