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 The Markets Uncertainty abounds. Investors were skittish last week. Share prices jolted higher and lower amid concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) data center spending, upcoming Federal Reserve rate decisions, and the strength of consumer spending, reported Phil Serafino and Natalia Kniazhevich of Bloomberg. These issues will affect the future performance of companies, and investors are trying to anticipate what may be ahead. In the third quarter, companies were profitable and sales were strong Overall, U.S. companies performed well in the third quarter of 2025. So far, 95 percent of companies in the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index have [...]

The Markets It was another turbulent week. Investors cheered the end of the shutdown, pondered strong third-quarter earnings, and questioned the artificial intelligence (AI) spending spree. Some reduced their exposure to risky assets, while others bought the dip. Here are a few of the factors that influenced markets last week. Doubts about rates. The shutdown ended, but the White House said the official inflation and employment reports for October may never be released. That makes it tough for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to lower rates. “The central bank taps federal data releases – among others – as officials mull [...]

The Markets There were bearish undercurrents in the bullish sea. While there are many reasons to be optimistic about the long-term prospects for U.S. stocks, investor concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) spending and the possibility of a market correction roiled markets last week. “All eyes were on the parade of earnings reports from the technology behemoths this past week. But what grabbed the markets’ attention were the implications of their massive capital investments in artificial intelligence on their balance sheets and cash-flow statements,” reported Randall W. Forsyth of Barron’s. Investors wondered whether and when the enormous amounts of money [...]

The Markets Like walking on cobblestones… If you’ve ever walked down a road paved with cobblestones, you know the uneven surface can be challenging. Today, financial markets are paved with a variety of challenges and concerns. A recent survey from Charles Schwab found that its clients remain bullish; however, they have concerns about how the political landscape, market valuations, and geopolitical and macroeconomic issues will affect markets over the next three months. They also are considering the possibility of stagflation. (Stagflation is a rare confluence of slow economic growth, high inflation, and high unemployment.) Last week, markets were volatile. [...]

The Markets Stock markets celebrated, but bond markets were cautious. Last week, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that inflation for September was lower than economists had anticipated. Both headline and core inflation (the latter excludes volatile food and energy prices) rose 3.0 percent year over year. “While the September figure is still a full percentage point above the Fed’s 2 [percent] target—and the highest level of inflation seen since January—it signals that the path of price growth is modest enough to allow for additional rate cuts,” reported Megan Leonhardt of Barron’s. Investors had been concerned that a jump [...]

The Markets Emotions were running high in financial markets. You may recall the week before last ended with the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index falling more than two percent after a flare-up in the trade war between the United States and China. It marked the end of the longest streak of trading days without a move of one percent or more since 2020, wrote Connor Smith of Barron’s. “On Monday, [stocks] bounced much of the way back after President Donald Trump said over the weekend, ‘Don’t worry about China.’” reported Teresa Rivas of Barron’s. “As indexes climbed, Wall [...]

The Markets Filling the data void. Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle theorized that nature abhors a void and fills it. Anyone who has ever cleared a garden patch and delayed planting understands the idea. Before long, the empty ground is teeming with opportunistic plants. The government shutdown created a data void. Usually, the government delivers robust economic data that analysts and investors rely on to better understand where the American economy has been, where it is now, and where it may be going. It’s information the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) relies on to determine whether a rate cut or [...]

The Markets It was a stellar quarter for investors. The last three months have delivered stock market gains amid signs the economy might not be doing as well as previously thought. Here’s what we saw: Stock markets advanced Solid corporate earnings growth, enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI), and expectations for a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut helped drive stock markets in the United States higher during the third quarter of 2025. “The broad U.S. equity indices were higher across the board in both September and Q3. For the S&P [Standard & Poor’s] 500 and Nasdaq-100, September marked their 5th [...]

The Markets The economy is all right. Last week, revised economic figures showed the United States economy grew faster from April through June than previously thought. The upward revision was primarily due to a revised estimate for consumer spending over the period, according to Connor Smith of Barron’s. “American consumers, the engine of the world's largest economy, have remained resilient in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty…The continued strength in spending, which has defied worries about a slowdown, is in contrast to recent data showing a weakening labor market…But initial claims for unemployment insurance fell last week to [...]

The Markets The bulls were running. Last week, investors rejoiced after the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point. Major U.S. stock indexes set new record highs. FOMC projections for the future suggested more rate cuts could be ahead. “The updated ‘dot plot’ forecasts three cuts in 2025, up from two in June, but the outlook reveals deep uncertainty among policymakers. The median forecast masks a razor-thin 10-9 split among the 19 participants, what economists call a ‘soft median’ that suggests little consensus about the path ahead, reported Nicole Goodkind [...]