January presented us with a month of stock market decline but last Friday's gain "snapped a three-day streak of losses and left the S&P 500 up 0.8 percent for the week." Today's #PeekoftheWeek lists some possible reasons why the first weekly gain of the year took a few weeks to occur and how economic expansion is leading us to more space exploration. Take our "space economy" quiz to find out how much you know!
Read MoreIf you aren't familiar with the 'January Barometer', today's Peek of the Week describes it like this: as goes January, so goes the year. . . As we know, people do not make perfect financial decisions and the predictive values associated with the January Barometer aren't perfect, either. So what's going on? Last week we saw U.S. stock indices move lower because of inflation, the pandemic and Federal Reserve policy. One thing is very clear: the global economy stays resilient, requiring new and innovative adaptations around the world.
Read MoreIs the economy doing well, or not? The answer doesn't come easy these days. Today we posted a brand new Peek of the Week that attempts to answer this question. Last week, the focus was on retail sales for the month of December 2021 being down 1.9 percent compared to November 2021. There are more factors and timeframes to consider than the month-to-month data, and Barron's reported the "the slowdown is expected to be short-lived."
Read MoreThe Fed's minutes from their December meeting were released last week and investors found themselves surprised by "the change in tone" for future outlooks. Our Peek of the Week tells the story of the Federal Reserve and how 2020 forced our country to make adjustments to avoid a deep recession or depression, and how we continue to pivot going forward.
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