Economy & Markets
The important economic and stock market news that advisors need to know.
State Health Insurance Regulators Tied to Industry, Says Watchdog
By Marlene Y. SatterConsumer Watchdog, the nonpartisan consumer advocacy agency, on Tuesday warned that close ties to the insurance industry through lobbying, contributions, and appointments could affect an upcoming vote on Sunday by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners concerning the rates people pay for health insurance.
March 22, 2011
Gold Up, Oil Dips as World ReactsTuesday saw gold prices continuing to rise on concerns about military action in Libya and the ongoing crisis in Japan, while investors claimed profits on oil in anticipation of slowing intervention by the U.S. and other nations in Libya.
March 22, 2011
Euribor Rates Rise After ECB Interest WarningsOn Tuesday the Euribor, euro-priced bank-to-bank lending rates, rose in the wake of renewed warnings from the European Central Bank that an interest rate hike is in the wings for April.
March 21, 2011
Oil, Gold, Stocks Rise on Libya, JapanAir strikes in Libya drove the prices of oil and gold higher on Monday, while indications that Japan might be progressing in containment of its reactor woes lifted stocks on world markets.
March 21, 2011
Portugal, Ireland Debt Problems Still Haunt Euro ZoneIn the midst of turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and worries over Japan, the euro zone’s debt crisis has not gone away, merely dropped out of the headlines for a bit.
March 21, 2011
Japan Still Devastated but Outlook HopefulAs Japan continued to battle an ongoing nuclear crisis in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, its currency continued to fall on the world market thanks to a G7intervention on Friday, the first since 2000, that kept speculators at bay.
March 21, 2011
Higher Oil Prices Mean Tighter Budgets, Higher Inflation, Hartford SaysWhile economic data continues to signal a recovery that is “gaining strength,” significantly higher oil prices due to the turmoil in the Middle East “threatens to erase much of those gains,” says Hartford Investment Management.
March 21, 2011
Why and How I Use Individual Bonds in Client PortfoliosBond funds add an undesirable filip of risk, while there is a greater degree of predictability with individual issues.