Category: United States

“Our ‘Roaring 2020s’ scenario is looking not only possible, but also probable.” Earlier this month, Barron’s highlighted the 2024 S&P 500 SPX targets for six investment strategists including yours truly. Our target is the highest at 5,400, based on projected S&P 500 earnings per share of $ 250 next year. Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson has the lowest […]

It doesn’t take long for a U.S. visitor in Colombia to appreciate the dangers of runaway inflation. They come to this realization even though, relative to historical examples of hyperinflation, Colombian inflation doesn’t particularly stand out. The country’s consumer price index has increased at an annualized rate of just over 10% for the past several […]

U.S. stock indexes were little changed on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 trading a fraction shy of a fresh record as investors continued to chase a year-end rally amid lingering optimism that U.S. interest rates will fall in 2024. How are stock indexes trading The S&P 500 SPX dipped 3 points, leaving it nearly flat, at 4,771 The […]

If you’re trying to control your blood pressure, brace for a spike when you pay your next homeowners insurance bill. The cost is soaring while the coverage is shrinking. Home insurers operate a cyclical business. There are multiyear periods when they compete hungrily for your business, dropping prices and expanding their offerings. But the cycle […]

Quick facts about buying from a private seller:  Always ask a seller why they are selling the vehicle. Ask to see service records and a pre-purchase inspection. Did the car get into an accident? Find out how it got fixed and ask for receipts. You’ll likely have several questions when it comes time to buy a used car. What follows […]

Tesla Inc. is preparing to launch an updated version of its popular Model Y SUV at its plant in Shanghai, Bloomberg News reported late Tuesday. According to Bloomberg, the revamped Model Y will feature significant interior and exterior changes, and is expected to reach mass production as soon as mid-2024. The Shanghai facility will pause […]

Posco Holdings’ shares climbed after the steelmaker unveiled a joint venture project to produce rare gases for making semiconductors in South Korea. Posco 005490, +3.70% rose as much as 7.3% to 508,000 won ($ 391.85) in early trade Wednesday, outperforming the benchmark Kospi’s KR:180721 0.1% fall. The stock’s rally, which snapped a three-session losing streak, […]

After winning nearly $ 500,000 on a $ 5 sports bet, a New Jersey financial adviser said he is planning to follow some of the advice he gives to clients and put the money to good use. Travis Dufner, a 32-year-old adviser with Millstone Financial Group in Millstone, N.J., is the bettor who has stepped […]

It’s been a strange, if not historically long, trip for stock-market bulls, but after nearly two years, the S&P 500 is just a few points away from record territory. The S&P 500 SPX, the U.S. large-cap benchmark, rose 20.12 points, or 0.4%, to close Tuesday at 4,774.75. That leaves the index less than 0.5% away […]

Charts of crude-oil futures have just flashed a bearish signal the likes of which hasn’t been seen since just before the plunge that preceded the demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. A bearish “death cross” pattern appeared Tuesday, with the 50-day moving average for crude futures CL.1, +3.21% CL00, +3.21% crossing […]

Treasury yields were little-changed on Tuesday as investors settled in for what is expected to be a quiet final week of trading for 2023. Price action The yield on the 2-year Treasury note BX:TMUBMUSD02Y rose by 4.2 basis points to 4.378%, according to FactSet data. The 10-year Treasury note BX:TMUBMUSD10Y went up 1.5 basis points […]

Investors would be forgiven for wanting to sit out in the waning days of 2023, given recent volatility and the high hopes riding on that so-called Santa Rally. That said, the setup is looking positive for Tuesday as trading gets underway in a shortened trading week. With the big inflation data now past us, all […]

U.S. stock futures were pointing to a modestly higher open on Tuesday, following the longest weekly winning streak since 2017 for the S&P 500. But volumes are expected to be lower as many investors take an extended holiday break in a shortened week of trading. How are stock-index futures trading? S&P 500 futures ES00, +0.14% […]

Dear MarketWatch,  I am 62, single, in good health with no retirement in a job I do not like. My job stresses me out, and my boss may let me go at the beginning of the year.  I am working on a business where the start-up cost has already been paid. I am so tired […]

Dear Big Move, My fiancée and I agreed to buy a house that was more than what we expected to pay, but we both liked it.  We agreed that I would make the mortgage payments, and she would pay the taxes every year. When we bought the house, we decided to pay the taxes separately […]

Dear MarketWatch,  I am 51 and would like to retire by 55. I will only have about $ 125,000 in retirement accounts plus another $ 35,000 in non-retirement accounts. I plan on moving out of the U.S. as I have a house that’s fully paid for overseas. After living there a year, I will get […]

Dear Quentin, Ten years ago, my mother married a wonderful man. Unfortunately, her husband came with some baggage — a deadbeat adult son in his mid-40s. Sadly, my mother’s husband passed away about a year ago, and his deadbeat son is still living in the home.  He has big problems with alcohol, anxiety, and simply […]

Dear Quentin, My wife and I have been married for over 30 years. Throughout the years, we relied mainly on my income. My wife worked occasionally, but mainly raised the children. We started to struggle financially when I was laid off. We went through all of my 401(k) investments. I lost my home through a […]

British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has agreed to buy a 25% stake worth about £1.25 billion ($ 1.3 billion) in Manchester United soccer club, the BBC reported Sunday. As part of the deal, Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group will take control of the club’s football operations. Ratcliffe, 71, will also provide $ 300m (£236m) for future investment […]

Dear Quentin, I’m a longtime reader of your column and I never thought I’d be writing to you, but I guess here we are. I’ve had a hell of a year. I lost my job and found another one, split from my long-term partner and lost half of my social life, moved to a smaller […]