Free Republic

Stock market values have collapsed 20% this year compared to last. Many 401K and defined contribution pension plans have retirement benefits, or some portion, pegged to stock values. When those plans start registering their stock losses, there will be some decline in pension benefits for some segment of retireees. As that takes place that demographic will make adjustments including reduced spending in some areas. While that will be somewhat deflationary, it will also support an advancing recession. Together that could complicate some expected additional Fed Reserve rate increase(s). Its all a hot mess. In 2009, my Pension benefit lost $400+...

Stocks were mostly lower on Tuesday as concerns about a possible recession in the U.S. weighed on investor sentiment, but lower interest rates appeared to boost the tech sector. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 290 points, or about 0.9%, after falling roughly 700 points earlier in the session. The S&P 500 dipped 0.4%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite outperformed and rose more than 1%.

Stocks fell sharply Thursday, as the S&P 500 caps off its worst first half in more than 50 years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 348 points, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 slid 1.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite pulled back by 1.6%.

The prospects of a soft landing seem more remote by the day. Economists and CEOs say a recession is likely, if not imminent. Even Fed Chairman Jerome Powell now calls a downturn “a possibility,” extraordinarily bearish talk for a central banker. Add to that an energy crunch, a food crisis, war, runaway inflation, profit warnings, layoffs, and you can see why stocks have tumbled into a bear market, giving investors the worst start to a year in a half-century. And yet equities analysts look out on the benchmark S&P 500 and see no reason for investors to change strategy. They...

I couldn’t sleep at all last night … after The Fed cranked up their target rate 75 basis points. The odds of a recession grew to 71.7% as The Fed hikes rates. The NASDAQ index tanked -4% today on the fallout from yesterday’s Fed actions. Do I detect a trend in The Fed’s latest Dot Plot?? So, will The Fed continue to go head-over-heels on monetary tightening?

U.S. stocks fell across the board as the post Fed rate hike rally faded and investors returned their attention to recession fears. New data on housing starts and permits showed a sharp pullback signaling a potentially steeper slowdown for homebuilders. In commodities, oil slipped to the $112 level.

I just read that President Biden has never been more optimistic about the US economy than he is now. Well, today’s closing bell is not optimistic and is downright bearish. The US Treasury 10-year yield rose … ANOTHER … 11.3 basis points as rumors circulate that The Fed might actually raise their target rate by 75 basis points. And the venerable Dow (DJIA) is down -152 points today. Markets are anticipating an increase of The Fed Funds target rate from 1% to 1.568%, less than the rumored 75 basis point increase being bandied about. If Biden is wildly optimistic about...

NANCY Pelosi's six years of threatening to block a UK trade deal with the US is set to come to an end in November when she is ousted as Speaker with a crushing defeat for her Democrats in the Midterm elections, exclusive polling has revealed.

Not nibbling on baby formula, watching gasoline prices soar. Wasting away again in Biden/Powellville. It was closing hell for a terrible day in markets as investors struggle to process the dreadful and seemingly endless inflation report on Friday. What happened today? The NASDAQ tanked -4.58% and the 10-year Treasury yield jumped 22.2 basis points. Gulp. The 22.2 bps jump in the 10-year Treasury yield has led to Agency MBS prices pulling a Titanic and sank. Somehow, I don’t think that Biden and Congress are going to help the middle class and low-wage workers.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 980 points, or about 3.14% and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled about 4.8%. Major averages hit their lows of the session in the final 30 minutes after a Wall Street Journal report suggested the Fed would consider raising rates by 0.75% on Wednesday, more than the half point increase currently expected.

Today’s opening bell is “Opening Hell!” US Treasury 10Y yields are up +12.1 basis points as of 9:40am EST. And rising across the globe. Equity markets? Dow is down -621.93 points and the NASDAQ is down almost -3%. But equity markets are down across the globe. Commodities? Once again, all commodities in the red except corn (which I don’t eat) and natural gas. Speaking of opening hell. The US Treasury 10Y-2Y yield flattened to 7 basis points. Markets are in a “Sea of Red.”

Black Monday! Off to bad start this week. The 10-year Treasury yield rose 11 basis points at 8am EST while the S&P 500 E-mini futures are down -2.5%. And then we have this scary chart of mortgage rates. Bankrate’s 30-year mortgage rate is now up to 5.78%. And then we have Bitcoin. Bitcoin is struggling as The Fed tightens the noose on the US economy with expected Fed rate hikes and a rising US Dollar. I’ve got a whole lotta anxiety over this week. The dynamic duo.

Tesla just filed its annual proxy statement with the SEC and revealed it plans a three-for-one stock split, and that board member Larry Ellison does not plan to stand for re-election. Shares of Tesla were up by more than 1% after-hours having closed at $696.69 on Friday. In the filing, the company wrote of the proposed stock split, “Our success depends on attracting and retaining excellent talent,” and that “highly competitive compensation packages,” offering every employee an option to receive equity, helped Tesla to do that. “We believe the Stock Split would help reset the market price of our common...

Stocks dropped on Friday morning after a highly anticipated inflation report showed a faster-than-expected rise in prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 755 points, or 2.3%. The S&P 500 fell 2.5%, while Nasdaq Composite sank nearly 3%. The May consumer price index report came in at its highest level since 1981, putting pressure on the stock market. The report showed prices rising 8.6% year over year, and 6% when excluding food and energy prices. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting year over year increases of 8.3% for the main index and 5.9% for the core index. "It's confirming...

Stocks dropped on Friday morning after a highly anticipated inflation report showed a faster-than-expected rise in prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 614 points, or 1.9%. The S&P 500 fell 2%, while Nasdaq Composite sank 2.5%.

The consumer price index for May was expected to increase 8.3% from a year ago, according to Dow Jones estimates.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disclosed new stock market trades on Monday, showing purchases of options to buy shares of Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp. In a periodic transaction report signed last Friday and appearing on the House of Representatives' website on Monday, the senior Democrat disclosed that her husband, financier Paul Pelosi, on May 13 bought Apple call options for between $500,001 and $1 million. On May 24, he bought more Apple call options, in an amount between $250,001 and $500,000, the disclosure https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2022/20021142.pdf shows. On the same day, Paul Pelosi bought Microsoft call options for as much as...

The almost 1,000 companies that have opted to pull out of Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine are not just benefiting from a reputational boost. They are also being rewarded by financial markets, while those who remain behind are being punished.

U.S. stocks slid Friday as investors digested a stronger-than-expected jobs report and rising rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 290 points, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 slipped 1.2%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.8%.

U.S. stocks pulled back Wednesday amid worries about the health of the economy, as Wall Street turned the page to another month following a volatile May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed about 140 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 eased 0.4%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite was marginally lower. Fresh data released Wednesday morning showed job openings declined sharply in April. Also weighing on investor sentiment, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the economy is headed for a “hurricane” and “you better brace yourself.”