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A Golden Age for Income Investors
To say the U.S. economy has been difficult to read is an understatement. From generationally high inflation and interest rates to concerns about the labor market, it’s no wonder consumers are unsure about the overall health of the economy. In fact, in June, 59% of...
Outlook 2025: Pragmatic Optimism
Looking back, 2024 clearly echoed many of the themes from 2023. By and large, the economy continued to defy expectations and surprised once again. Stocks continued their strong performance, driven by powerful trends in artificial intelligence and technology. On the...
Trade, Tariffs, and Inflation
Trade dynamics have shifted considerably since President Trump’s first administration. Reshoring among U.S. businesses and headwinds to the Chinese economy may limit the inflationary impact from rogue trade policy. It’s a Whole New World One of the biggest fears for...
Election Stock Market Playbook
As Election Day approaches, we discuss potential stock market implications of various possible outcomes. But before we get into that, we offer our regular public service announcement around elections and investing. Political views are best expressed at the polls and...
Q3 Earnings Should Be Fine, but Expectations Beyond This Quarter Are High
The bar for third quarter earnings is low, with analysts currently expecting only about a 3% increase in S&P 500 earnings per share (EPS). That low bar and a supportive economic environment points to potential upside. However, stocks may already be pricing in...
Just When We Recalibrated, Another Shock Arrived
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell said last month’s decision to cut the fed funds target rate by a half percentage point was due to a “recalibrating” policy, as the Fed follows its dual mandate regarding inflation and growth. The new buzzword — recalibration —...
Policy Crosscurrents: Potential Market Impacts
Of course, last week’s headliner was Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve (Fed) cutting rates by a half percent on Wednesday, September 18, the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020. The Fed “pause” ended at 423 days and now stands as the...
Second Quarter Earnings Recap: Good, Not Great
Second quarter earnings season is in the books, and it was a good one. S&P 500 companies collectively grew earnings at a double-digit pace for the first time in three years. Companies beat estimates at a solid 79% clip. Guidance from company CEOs and CFOs was...
Stock and Bond Market FAQs From the Field
Every year as the summer months draw near their end, LPL Financial hosts its annual conference for financial advisors. While the conference is an excellent opportunity for advisors to expand upon professional interests, discover ways to enhance their impact on...
THOUGHTS ON GLOBAL SELLOFF AND THE DOLLAR’S PATH TO DECOMPRESSING
Before the jobs report was released on Friday, we wrote a commentary on the U.S. dollar. In light of the events over the weekend and Monday, we start with some comments on the global stock market selloff. The broad stock market benchmarks are down about 3% this...