The Latest Breaking News on Economic Optimism Soars as Americans Embrace Promising Outlook for 2024

A lot has happened since my stock market (SPY) commentary last week! We nailed the interest rate hike — 50 bps, as everyone expected — and I was right that the dot plot and post-meeting commentary would spoil the party. This has certainly been a market where any bad news…

Australian shares suffer losses for fourth straight day

In last week’ s commentary I said “It feels like the S&P 500 (SPY) wants to be bullish, but everyone is extremely anxious… like we’re collectively holding our breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop”. Well drop it did, and hard, with the broader indexes falling considerably on Thursday…

Higher interest rates could lead to stock market swings and changes in the value.

RECAP: Asian shares declined yesterday, as continued interest rate hikes and a steadfast hawkish stance by major central banks fuelled global recession worries and sapped risk sentiment, driving US and European markets down.

The SET index gained early this week before swinging down to around the 1,620 level after the US Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision. Investors are now worried that the pace of rate increases will not slow as much as the market had expected earlier.

Jeremy Siegel warned that inflation was going to become a problem in 2020. Now, he says the Fed has done too much to fight it, and is set to cause a recession.

There are the numbers, and then there are the expectations for the numbers. The difference between the two is where investors dare to tread and where the Federal Reserve hopes to flex its muscle.

Yesterday’s retail sales report showed that consumers pulled back on spending last month, raising fears of a recession. Moreover, the Fed signaled to keep raising rates more through the following year. Given an uncertain market backdrop, investors should buy fundamentally sound and dividend-paying stocks Johnson (JNJ), Coca-Cola (KO), and Cardinal…