Market Week: December 21, 2015

The Markets (as of market close December 18, 2015) Not entirely unexpected, the Federal Open Market Committee announced the first interest-rate increase since 2006. In support of its decision, the committee expressed cautious optimism that economic conditions will...

Why watch the Fed?

Inflation also affects interest rates. If you’ve heard a news commentator talk about the Federal Reserve Board raising or lowering interest rates, you may not have paid much attention unless you were about to buy a house or take out a loan. However, the...

Interest Rates

There are two fundamental ways that you can profit from owning bonds: from the interest that bonds pay, or from any increase in the bond’s price. Many people who invest in bonds because they want a steady stream of income are surprised to learn that bond prices...

Retirement Plan Is Key to Confidence

Retirement confidence is highest among workers who say they or their spouse have a retirement plan, such as a work-sponsored plan or an individual retirement account (IRA), reports the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). In its 2015 Retirement Confidence...

Market Week: December 14, 2015

The Markets (as of market close December 11, 2015) Investors appeared to be in a selling mood this past week as each of the indexes listed here fell by more than 3.0%. The S&P 500 dropped over 79 points, closing down 3.79%, while the Dow lost over 580 points,...