2019 is off to a roaring start, as the S&P 500 Index gained 7.9% for its best January since 1987. Stocks’ strong January comes on the heels of the worst December in 87 years. What happens now? This week we will discuss why we see signs that

The Fed will likely pause interest rate hikes at its policy meeting this week. The Federal Reserve (Fed) meets this week, culminating in its rate decision on Wednesday, January 30. We expect the Fed to pause in response to slower global growth, trade

Brexit uncertainty continues to cloud Europe’s economy. On January 15, more than two-thirds of the U.K. Parliament voted against British Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union (EU) separation deal, another bump in the road for &ldquo

Fourth quarter earnings reporting begins this week. Over the next five days (January 14–18), 35 companies in the S&P 500 Index will report quarterly results, highlighted by several big banks. Here we preview fourth quarter earnings, discuss

This week, we look at stock valuations to try to gauge the potential opportunity for stocks. Amid the dizzying volatility and news cycle that investors have had to deal with lately, it can be difficult for many investors to take a step back and see b

While technically not a bear market, it sure felt like one. From its September 20 high through Christmas Eve, the S&P 500 Index fell 19.8%, including a more than 7% one-week (December 14–21) decline unmatched since the 2008–09 financi

After nearly 10 years of witnessing the U.S. economy and stock market recover and thrive, many investors are starting to wonder if we’ve seen all this expansion and bull market have to offer. LPL Research believes there’s more room to run

Next week could bring the third government shutdown of 2018, especially after the fireworks out of Washington yesterday. In a widely watched live TV debate, President Trump sparred with Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Pelosi

We view last week’s market decline as a retest of the October–November lows. The S&P 500 Index fell 4.6% last week, leaving the index in line with the low of the autumn correction and 10% off the September highs [Figure 1]. Losses wer

It was a great week for the stock market. The S&P 500 Index rallied 4.9% last week, leaving the index less than 6% from its record high, on September 20, 2018 (excluding today’s gains) [Figure 1]. Gains were driven by increasing optimism (n