Finance

Last Week’s Headlines The unemployment rate edged upward to 6.7% and away from the 6.5% that would have led to increased speculation about the Federal Reserve possibly accelerating an increase in interest rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the increase–the first since December 2012–occurred despite the U.S. economy adding 175,000 jobs in February. […]

  MARKET WEEK: FEBRUARY 3, 2014 The Markets It’s a small, small world: Despite various attempts at propping up local currencies, emerging markets continued to suffer from concerns that 1) assets being moved to stronger currencies could undermine already fragile economies, and 2) a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing could reduce demand for commodities, exports of

Believers in the so-called January indicator–the concept that the first five trading days suggest the stock market’s overall direction for the rest of the year–were likely discouraged last week. The S&P gave up roughly half a percentage point during 2014’s first five trading days. The other three domestic indices also slipped during those five days,

The holidays are the times of the generosity of gift-giving, but over-spending on holiday gifts becomes a harsh reality when the credit card bill comes in the mail. With that said, remember to plan ahead. Take into consideration these holiday spending tips during this year’s season of giving: Pay cash whenever possible–Beware of buying everything

Last Week’s Headlines The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee provided little guidance on when it might begin tapering other than to say it wouldn’t be now. The announcement noted the recent slowing of the housing recovery and confirmed again that the unemployment rate would need to be closer to 6.5% before the Fed would begin

  Last Week’s Headlines The unemployment rate continued to inch downward, hitting 7.2% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the lowest unemployment rate since November 2008. However, the 148,000 jobs added during the month was lower than the monthly average for the past year, and including underemployed and discouraged workers would