Is a yield curve inversion a foreboding sign for mortgage rates? Does it really signal a recession? Economists weigh in.

For a moment this week, the bond market flashed a signal that some associate with impending recessions. Home buyers need not worry just yet, according to economists. On Friday, the 2-year rate, which ...

What 10% inflation could look like for junk bonds: BofA

What happens to companies financed in the booming high-yield or “junk-bond” market on the off chance that U.S. inflation pegged at 7.9% in February soars to 10% and stays there? That’s a question Oleg...

U.S. government bonds just suffered their worst quarter of the past half century: Here’s why some investors may not be fazed

U.S. government bonds just finished their worst quarter since at least 1973, yet some investors aren’t likely to be put off from buying Treasurys again given rising risks of a U.S. recession within th...

Investors are fed up with Netflix and Facebook’s parent. Why this portfolio manager is digging in and buying more.

It has been a quarter to forget for two of the megacap tech giants, Netflix and Facebook parent Meta Platforms. The 34% decline for Meta FB was its worst on record — the 30% drop in the third quarter ...

Mortgage rates zoom past 4.5% — here’s what home buyers need to know

Mortgages rates keep climbing, and that poses a major challenge for families looking to score a deal during the busy spring home-buying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.67%...

A key part of the Treasury yield curve has finally inverted, setting off recession warning — here’s what investors need to know

A closely watched measure of the yield curve that serves as one of the bond market’s most reliable recession indicators inverted on Tuesday, underlining fears about the economic outlook as the Federal...

This ‘potentially poisonous mix’ means forget about buying the dip in stocks, says Neuberger CIO

The threat of high inflation, climbing rates and sputtering growth could turn into a “potentially poisonous mix” for stocks, prompting a new underweight call for equities by Erik Knutzen, chief invest...

Stock-market investors should watch this part of the yield curve for the ‘best leading indicator of trouble ahead’

Investors have been watching the U.S. Treasury yield curve for inversions, a reliable predictor of past economic downturns. They don’t always agree on which part of the curve is best to watch though. ...

U.S. Treasury market plagued with illiquidity as government bonds suffer worst week in years

Signs of trouble continue to show up in the world’s largest, most liquid government-securities market as government bonds logged their worst week in years and the U.S. central bank’s interest rate hik...

Weekend reads: the slowing housing market and inverted yield curve signal a coming recession

It is human nature to fear missing out as prices skyrocket, But all bubbles burst eventually. Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics predicts a 25% decline in U.S. home sales. What will that do to...

‘Mortgage rates are likely to push toward 5% before the end of the year’: Rates soar to highest level in over 3 years, putting pressure on home buyers

Mortgage rates are racing toward 5% as the Federal Reserve’s expected trajectory for future rate hikes becomes clearer. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.42% as of the week endin...

S&P 500 marks 1st death cross in 2 years as investors assess Russia-Ukraine ahead of Fed decision

Dow industrials barely gained on Monday, while the S&P 500 logged its first death cross in two years and the Nasdaq Composite slumped to its lowest since December 2020, as investors monitored Russ...

Mortgage rates rise as Russia’s war in Ukraine stokes volatility. Experts say the short-term uncertainty over rates could continue

After two consecutive weeks of declines, mortgage rates have moved higher once again. Where they will go in the short term, though, largely depends on what happens overseas. Mortgage rates could fall ...

Opinion: The Fed needs to target a floor for the 10-year Treasury, in addition to radically raising the fed funds rate

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell faces the toughest task since Chairman Paul Volcker tamed the Great Inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. And a lot of the pressures driving the most virulent ...

How the Federal Reserve could cut its near $9 trillion balance sheet as it fights inflation

Slimming down might be the trickiest part after two years of the pandemic. As the Federal Reserve looks to shrink its near $9 trillion balance sheet to help cool U.S. inflation pegged at a 40-year hig...

A death cross for the S&P 500 is nearing as inflation fears, Russia’s Ukraine offensive rattles stock-market investors

The S&P 500 index is closing in on a death cross, an ominous chart pattern that underscores the downtrend suffered in an asset. A death cross appears when the 50-day moving average crosses below t...

Mortgage rates fall amid geopolitical uncertainty. How the Russia-Ukraine crisis could impact home buyers — and interest rates

Home buyers are seeing temporary relief from rising interest rates as markets react to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But in the longer term, inflation remains a serious concern. The 30-year fixed-rate...

Dow futures sink over 700 points as Putin authorizes invasion, explosions heard near Ukraine’s Kyiv

U.S. stock-index futures were tumbling Wednesday night, extending an earlier decline on Wall Street, as Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a “special military operation” in Ukraine. CNN on We...

What the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine means for markets

Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are keeping investors on edge. President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed Russian leader Vladimir Putin had made up his mind to invade in coming days but tha...

Presidents Day or Washington’s Birthday? Is the stock market open? Here are trading hours.

U.S. financial markets will be closed on Monday in observance of Presidents Day, or Washington’s Birthday, if you prefer. The Intercontinental Exchange Inc. ICE, -1.96% -owned New York Stock Exchange ...

‘Take advantage of this pullback,’ says Morgan Stanley executive who sees buying opportunities amid Russia-Ukraine tension

Tension centered on Russia and Ukraine has opened up an opportunity for investors to put cash to work in the stock market, according to Andrew Slimmon, senior portfolio manager for equities at Morgan ...

Inflation has knocked back the market. Here are the key S&P 500 and tech stock levels one strategist fears.

Investors are still trying to come to grips with that double whammy of nosebleed consumer prices and 100-basis-point increase talk from St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard. Read: Oil is ...

Why hedge-fund manager Doug Kass says his bearish case is now stronger and dip buyers should bide their time

For equity dip buyers still waiting in the wings, hedge-fund manager Doug Kass suggests holding fire for now as better bargains, and unfortunately worse times, are ahead. “It is my view that the odds ...

The next ‘pain trade’ could be on the horizon as investors crowd into bets pegged to Fed monetary policy

Investors may be set up for the next so-called “pain” trade, with market participants increasingly coalescing around expectations that Federal Reserve needs to act aggressively to combat persistent U....

Why is bitcoin rallying 10% Friday? Crypto clambers to perch above $40,000 following jobs report.

Bitcoin was in rally mode on Friday, ascending to a two-week high above $40,000. More specifically, the cryptocurrency BTCUSD, +2.41% was trading at around $40,245 on Friday with a nearly 10% gain ove...

Opinion: The Fed is determined to stop wages from rising

AUSTIN, Texas (Project Syndicate)—Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has now committed to putting monetary policy on a course of rising interest rates, which could boost the short-term rate (on feder...

When to stop investing in the stock market? Wild price swings are shaking the resolve of some: Is it time to bail out of equities and bonds?

Is it time to bail out of stocks and bonds? This isn’t the market that investors likely signed up for back in 2021 when shares in GameStop Corp. GME, +4.69% and movie chain AMC Entertainment Holdings ...

What to expect from markets in the next six weeks, before the Federal Reserve revamps its easy-money stance

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell fired a warning shot across Wall Street last week, telling investors the time has come for financial markets to stand on their own feet, while he works to tame i...

Opinion: The party’s over: The Fed and Congress have pulled their support from workers and investors

Even as the government reports the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years, the historic gains in income and wealth that inflated the economy in 2020 and 2021 are fading fast. The air is coming out...

Is the market crashing? No. Here’s what’s happening to stocks, bonds as the Fed aims to end the days of easy money, analysts say

As the stock market has convulsed lower and yields for bonds have surged in recent weeks, culminating in a so-called correction for the Nasdaq Composite Index, average Americans are wondering what’s a...

How a Russian invasion of Ukraine could trigger market shock waves

The threat of a devastating European ground war hasn’t done much to rattle financial markets so far, but investors still appear likely to snap up traditional safe-haven assets should Russia attack Ukr...

As stock-market turbulence revs up, this ETF theme has drawn 32% of flows in 2022 so far: ‘This isn’t a flash in the pan’

Thank god its Thursday! The Nasdaq Composite posted its first correction since March and equity benchmarks were trying to stage a mini rally, at last check on Thursday. Is this the beginning of the en...