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What does the decline in corporate profits say about the economy?

May 25, 2023
Profits fell for the second quarter in a row, partly due to Fed rate hikes. Whether it’s a good thing depends on your role in the economy.
Profits are falling, but the stock market is "not freaked out," says Bruce Sacerdote of Dartmouth.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The markets are taking debt limit uncertainty in stride — for now

May 9, 2023
Stock markets aren't upset by the debt limit debate. But that could change as the June 1 default deadline draws closer, analysts say.
The stock market doesn't have a lot to react to because little is happening in terms of raising the debt limit, says Ian Dew-Becker, a finance professor at Northwestern University. Above, a trader at the New York Stock Exchange.
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Retirement accounts fell more than 20% in 2022

Feb 27, 2023
Fidelity Investments reports that average 401(k) and IRA balances fell to around $104,000 in 2022, as financial markets stumbled.
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How the world's richest people became much richer during the pandemic

Jan 16, 2023
Two-thirds of the $42 trillion in new wealth went to the wealthiest 1%, says a new report from Oxfam. The group also says tax policy can change that.
Many of the big companies that made the most money early in the pandemic, like Amazon and Walmart, spent more on shareholders than raising workers' pay, says Molly Kinder of Brookings. Above, the interior of a Walmart.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Why corporate dealmaking plummeted in 2022

Jan 3, 2023
A number of factors — the falling stock market, the war in Ukraine and rising interest rates — created uncertainty for companies that wanted to go public in 2022.
A slumping stock market is among the reasons companies refrained from going public last year.
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What the stock market is signaling about the future of the economy

Oct 19, 2022
The ups and downs of the stock market don't always predict the future of the economy. But stocks can give us some clues about where investors think the economy is headed.
Higher interest rates have been a drag on stocks this year.
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For public good, not for profit.

Have markets reached rock bottom?

Oct 4, 2022
After a spectacular rally in markets, is this the end of the road for the bear market or a detour?
Stocks rallied Monday, but are still a long way from recovering from their bear market dips.
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Global markets are tanking because they see signs that the global economy is tanking

Sep 26, 2022
Inflation, declining demand and uncertainty are bumming out investors.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for financial markets in the U.S. and abroad. For a decade before 2022, conditions were mostly favorable to risk takers.
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AMC appeals to meme stock investors for its financial future

Aug 26, 2022
AMC sells APEs to tap into retail investors’ enthusiasm. Can it evolve beyond the meme?
Traders on the floor of New York Stock Exchange stare up at a screen that shows APE preferred share stock price.
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