Market Commentary

Economists use aviation metaphors to describe the results of central banks' efforts to manage rapidly growing economies. If the Federal Reserve lifts rates enough to prevent the economy from overheating without jolting it into recession, then it has engineered a soft landing, according to Investopedia.

Investors were pleased with the Federal Reserve's (Fed) new approach to its balance sheet.

The great mystery of stock markets reared its head last week. With no clear driver, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 3 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite and Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index moved higher by about 2.5 percent.

At its first policy meeting of 2019, the U.S. Federal Reserve changed direction. After four rate increases in 2018, Chair Jerome Powell announced interest rates were on hold.

Last week, the Federal Reserve put itself on hold. The Federal Open Market Committee met on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, to discuss the state of the economy and determine policy.

Like competitors who've completed a difficult section in an endurance race, U.S. stock investors took a breather last week.

Investors who remained steady during December's wild ride are probably pleased with their decision as stocks have gotten off to a strong start in 2019.

Sometimes, mental shortcuts are helpful. Other times they are not. When it comes to investing, seasonal shortcuts are not uncommon.

Investors will think of the last quarter of 2018 for years to come, but they won’t remember it fondly.

Investing during the month of December was like traversing an icy mountain stream. It delivered a staggering shock to the senses that triggered the instinct to, “Get Out!”

December is usually the best month of the year for the stock market. It has been since 1950, according to Randall Forsyth of Barron's, but not so far this year.

Recently, stocks have delivered a wild ride. During Thanksgiving week, U.S. stock markets took investor uncertainty on the chin, suffering a 3.8 percent drop, which was the worst performance in eight months.

The United States and China continued to spar over trade and other issues.

Motion sickness happens when your body receives conflicting signals from your eyes, ears, and other body parts. One way to manage the anxiety and queasiness that accompany the condition is by keeping your eyes on the horizon.