Economy & Markets
The important economic and stock market news that advisors need to know.
S&P’s Sam Stovall: Gridlock in Congress Harms, Not Helps, Stocks
By Joyce HansonWhile many people believe that gridlock is good for the stock market, reasoning that Washington would then not get in the way of capitalism, history shows that the opposite is true, says Stovall in a U.S. sector watch for S&P’s Equity Research unit.
July 29, 2011
GDP Growth in Q2 Is Feeble 1.3%The economy grew 1.3% in the second quarter, according to Commerce Department figures released Friday. The pace was below private-sector expectations of 1.8% growth. Compounding the disappointing numbers, first quarter GDP growth was revised sharply from 1.9% to 0.4%.
July 29, 2011
Boehner Debt Bill Passes House; Obama Urges Bipartisan DealPresident Barack Obama on Friday urged a bipartisan deal on raising the debt ceiling, saying that the House plan, which later passed Friday night then quickly tabled by the Senate, was the uncompromising view of a single faction and “has no chance of becoming law.”
July 29, 2011
10 Best Investments for a Default or DowngradeMunicipal investments are at risk of default, money markets have broken the buck and now the U.S. Government is at threat of a downgrade—where in the world can investors find safety?
July 29, 2011
FINRA to Take Closer Look at Mutual Fund AdvertisingResponding to mutual fund companies that charge the regulator fails to consistently communicate new interpretations of existing advertising rules for mutual funds, FINRA says it will change its ways.
July 28, 2011
Catching up with… Scott ColyerIf you’re in the decidedly unglamorous, but wholly necessary fixed income business, setting up shop in Monument, Colo., serves as an effective (and breathtaking) counterbalance.
July 28, 2011
Three new developments on the annuity rider frontThe buzz in the annuity world is about optional features that guarantee a lifetime income stream: living benefit riders.
July 28, 2011
Robbing Peter to Pay EveryoneWhy Euro Pacific Capital's Peter Schiff doesn't like Ben Bernanke