Bill Brancaccio

China’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for manufacturing expanded for the ninth straight month, rising to a better-than-expected 52.1—the highest level since September 2017. The services gauge at 56.4 was even stronger, highlighting China’s effective virus containment. As recoveries for the United States and Europe stall, China’s growth continues to stand out globally. Closing out a strong November. The S&P …

China’s Recovery Is On Solid Footing Read More »

COVID-19 cases have been rising in several regions around the world, prompting many countries to implement new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Governments in a few European countries have rolled out what has been dubbed “lockdown 2.0,” and high-frequency data in the region, highlighted in our blog Europe’s Lockdown 2.0 May Be Smarter, …

Rising COVID-19 Cases Could Pressure the Recovery Read More »

Market Blog There are many charts that caught our attention this week, and today we share the top 5 charts we’re watching. The S&P 500 Index recently had a four-week losing streak and fell nearly 10% along the way, while the Nasdaq and many large-cap tech stocks fell even more. Then in a big move …

5 Charts We Are Watching Read More »

Stocks just had their best week since April, with the S&P 500 Index incredibly a chip shot away from new all-time highs. Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States, but markets are confident Republicans will maintain the Senate, and this means gridlock in Washington. Remember, gridlock is good, as it pulls …

3 Election Charts That Caught Our Attention Read More »

Market Blog   Fixed-income investors aren’t used to having to deal with the volatility of stocks, but in the year that is 2020, that is exactly what has happened thus far. Unfortunately, while we don’t see the volatility of Q1 2020 continuing in 2021, we do believe that interest rates may continue to rise in …

2 Reasons Long-Term Rates Could Continue to Rise Read More »

Economic Blog With Election Day coming up tomorrow, we at LPL Research thought we would add one last election forecaster to the mix of what we’ve presented over the last several months—as much because of what it might tell us about the American electorate as what it might tell us about the election. As shown …

An Election Pattern You Might Not Know About Read More »

Whether you leave an employer for a wonderful new opportunity or lose a position because of the pandemic, it’s easy to forget about the money you have saved in your retirement plan. Sometimes, retirement plan savings can stay in a previous employer’s plan. Other times, your money can’t stay in the plan, and you need …

Your Retirement Savings and Change in Employment Read More »

Being Financially Savvy is A Family Business Like it or not, we’re all involved in running the “family business.” We worry that our parents might outlive their retirement savings, we are worried about our kids going to college, and what our own role in both might be. We’re often comforted by the thought that family …

Being Financially Savvy is A Family Business Read More »

Stocks fared well during the third quarter despite September’s weakness, with the S&P 500 Index returning about 9%. The quarterly gain brought the return through the first nine months of the year to 5.6%. Here we peel back the onion on the third quarter’s stock performance to look at what worked and what didn’t. Growth beat …

Third Quarter Market Review – What Worked? Read More »

The first presidential debate is now in the books, with two more (maybe) ahead and a vice presidential debate on October 7. The debate was raucous, occasionally uncouth, and more than a little surreal for viewers at home. But did anything happen that could potentially move markets? Probably not. “Despite the chaos, viewers probably came …

Three Market Takeaways from the First Presidential Debate Read More »