US markets took another body blow at the start of this past week, once again set off by a tweet from President Trump. He renewed his public attacks on Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “major loser” and demanding immediate rate cuts to juice the economy. Trump even floated the idea of firing Powell – a move that, while legally difficult, has rattled investor confidence.
Tag: grab
Weekly Update for the week ending April 11, 2025
The sell-off at the start of the week wiped out the past 12 months of gains, with stocks edging closer to bear market territory. Since the previous Thursday, US markets saw their steepest three-day decline since 1987 – and before that, not since World War II. Meanwhile, Canada’s TSX Composite Index (TSX) experienced its sharpest drop since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, though, the damage was self-inflicted—and, frankly, far from fun. ☹
Weekly Update for the week ending February 7, 2025
With tariffs dominating the news the last few weeks, I thought it’d be a good time to talk about how they impact us as consumers and investors.
What Are Tariffs?
Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods, meant to regulate trade and protect domestic industries. In this case, President Trump is using them as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations. By making foreign products more expensive, tariffs can push consumers toward locally made goods, but they often come with unintended consequences.
Weekly Update for the week ending April 26, 2024
For the past three weeks, economic news—covering economic output, labour markets, and inflation—has dominated market movements. This focus shifted this past week as over 40% of the S&P 500 companies reported their earnings. Strong reports, especially from the largest companies, could likely sustain the market’s upward trajectory. However, if earnings reports are underwhelming, the markets may continue the recent pullback.
Additionally, key updates such as the US economic growth data and the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure were released. Ideally, the Fed wants the economy to stay strong while inflation cools down.
Let’s see how this shift toward corporate performance and the latest economic updates impacted the markets over the last week…