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Do the FED’s Interest Rates Affect the Stock Market?

In anticipation of the September 25-26 Fed meeting, CNBC ran this headline (Sept. 21): “Record High Stocks Face Fed Rate Hike.” implying that the Fed’s interest rate decisions actually affect the stock market. Common wisdom says that “falling interest rates means higher stock prices, while rising interest rates means lower stock prices.” At first blush this might sound logical because rising interest rates makes fixed income investments more attractive because they pay more and have less risk than stocks. So some of the available capital will flow into bonds, etc. thus starving the stock market and putting downward pressure on prices.  In this article, Elliott Wave International contends that there is actually no consistent relationship between interest rates and the stock market and they present examples of how the exact opposite of what you would expect has happened.

Do the FED’s Interest Rates Affect the Stock Market? Read More »

After the 8 year Rally

A Correction or a New Bear Market?

Corrections are a normal part of any “Bull Market” and a 10% correction is necessary every now and then to shake out the “weak hands”.  Even a 20% correction can be no cause for worry. Today Chris Ciovacco of Ciovacco Capital Management looks at the recent correction and where the market now stands. Are we in for a new bear market or is this just business as usual for a bull market correction?

A Correction or a New Bear Market? Read More »

Could The Fed Trigger A Deflationary Slide In Stocks?

Most economists and stock market participants believe that FED policy can exhibit a tremendous amount of power over the movement of the markets and market participants perception of the future of that policy can affect the market in the short run. The major exception is Robert Prechter who believes that “monetary policy doesn’t have a reliable effect on the stock market.” He recommends that you Don’t Get Ruined by This Popular Investment Myth. But in today’s post Chris Ciovacco of Ciovacco Capital Management looks at whether the FED could trigger a slide in the stock market. ~Tim McMahon, editor.

Could The Fed Trigger A Deflationary Slide In Stocks? Read More »

QE Ending Or Just Getting Started?

While the Federal Reserve has laid out specific plans to end their quantitative easing (QE) program, a new season of QE may be getting ready to kick-off across the pond. From Reuters:
The euro fell broadly on Wednesday, hitting a 19-month low against the Swiss franc, as speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will resort to quantitative easing was fueled by yet more bad news from the eurozone…ECB chief Mario Draghi fueled speculation that monetary policy would be further loosened in the eurozone over the weekend by saying the central bank would use “all the available instruments” to deal with the threat of deflation at the U.S. Federal Reserve’s annual conference in Jackson Hole. Developments on Wednesday only worsened the picture for the eurozone: data showed German consumer morale fell for the first time in 1-1/2 years, while Italy’s economy minister said the country must cut its growth forecast.

QE Ending Or Just Getting Started? Read More »

Choosing a Brokerage Firm

If you’re ready to do some investing, you need a broker to be able to buy stocks, options, and pretty much anything else. Deciding on the right broker for you can be difficult. If you’ve made the rounds of the local brokerage firms you’ll notice a trend: they all charge a lot in commissions. If you start looking online you’ll notice the commissions are decidedly lower but are these brokers a good deal or just a good deal of trouble?

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