Economics

Interest Rates and Stock Prices

The relationship between interest rates and stock prices is of interest to stock investors as the market tends to react according to the general belief regarding the direction interest rates will take. While timing the market is usually not the best approach for most stock investors, it can help to understand how decisions and [...]

Tracking Inflation through the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

The consumer price index or “CPI” in an index to measure changes in the prices of a basket of basic consumer goods and services, such as food, medical care, and transportation. The CPI looks at a predetermined group of goods and services, weighs them according to importance, and averages their prices. By calculating [...]

What Does the World Bank Do?

The World Bank is an international institution that was developed to assist developing countries by giving loans and offering financial advisement. The goal of the World Bank is to assist in plans for economic development with the goal of improved living conditions for the citizens of these countries. Created in 1944, the World [...]

Reasons for a Weak Dollar and Some Potential Benefits

A weak dollar refers to times when the value of the U.S. dollar is declining compared to one or more foreign currencies. When the dollar declines in value, you are able to exchange it for less of a foreign currency, decreasing your purchasing power in that country. While a number of factors can [...]

The Impact of Consumer Confidence
on Business and Investing

Consumer confidence is the term used to describe the level of confidence consumers have in the economy. Rather than assess the actual state of the economy, the consumer confidence measure is used to understand the current perception among consumers. The measure is an important one since consumer spending is the key component for [...]

Stock Investing and the Industry Life Cycle

The growth of an industry’s sales over time is used to track the life cycle of that industry. When searching out stocks for potential investment, it is best to have some familiarity with the industry in which the company operates and an understanding of the current life cycle phase of that industry. Knowing the [...]

The Various Sectors of an Economy

An economic sector is defined by the type of business activity it supports in relation to the overall economy. The categorization of these various sectors can be thought of as a continuum that starts with the primary sector- the sector which is concerned with the use of raw materials (coal, oil, lumber, etc.). [...]

The Impact of the Business Cycle on Interest Rates and Stock Investing

The business or economic cycle refers to the changes in economic activity or production experienced by the economy as a whole over several months or years. The fluctuations are measured by the growth rate in gross domestic product (GDP) and these shorter business cycles are what make up the longer-term growth trend. Many investors [...]

The Impact of Monetary Policy on the Stock Market

Monetary policy describes the actions taken by the Federal Reserve (The “Fed”) to influence the cost and availability of money and credit. At any time, The Fed may initiate “expansionary” (to increase the money supply) or “”contractionary” (to decrease the money supply) policy as a means to promote overall economic goals. The actions the [...]

The Stock Market as an Economic Indicator

An economic indicator is a statistic that can provide evidence regarding the performance of the economy. The stock market has traditionally been viewed as an indicator of the future performance, primarily due to the fact that a stock is priced according to the expected future performance of a company. In this way, the stock [...]