Author: Press Room

Depending on what metrics or indicators you follow, you wouldn’t necessarily think that there’s much to worry about in the economy, and particularly the industrial/manufacturing economy. The S&P 500 is at or near a high and industrial stocks as a group have been cruising along, with the Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) up 23% over the past year and the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) up a similar 24%, despite ongoing weakness in indicators like manufacturing PMI both here and in Europe. I believe underlying conditions aren’t so strong, at least in some sectors, and Hurco’s (NASDAQ:HURC) fiscal second…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The US labour market gained 272,000 jobs in May, far more than forecast, pushing back market expectations for the timing of Federal Reserve rate cuts.The figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for non-farm payrolls last month compared with a prediction of a 180,000 rise in a Bloomberg poll of economists.President Joe Biden, battling attacks on his economic record by Donald Trump ahead of this November’s US presidential election, hailed what he called “the great American comeback” in jobs.  He stressed that…

Beyoncé gave Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson four tickets to her concert last year, the justice disclosed in financial disclosure forms published Friday that also revealed that Jackson and other justices received six-figure payments in 2023 for book deals. Jackson, who reported an eye-popping $893,750 payment from a book publisher, was joined by Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor in reporting income from books that they have published or have coming out in the future. The book deals have at times been controversial. Supreme Court justices and other government officials are capped on receiving more than about $30,000 in…

A recent newsletter from Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, geriatrician, warns us that some recent studies show that nearly one out of eight adults in the US is prescribed a sedative (benzodiazepine). Is your aging loved one taking Valium (Diazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Xanax (Alprazolam) or Klonopin (Clonazepam)? All of these are addictive. As they lose their effectiveness over time, the prescribing physician often increases the dose. This leads to increased risk of side effects, such as falls, confusion, irritability, poor sleep and increased risk of dementia. When your aging parent also consumes alcohol with the medication, the result can be that they…

Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as “Credible” below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders who compensate us for our services, all opinions are our own. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 6.990% as of May 15, which is unchanged from yesterday. Additionally, the interest rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 6.250%, which is also unchanged from yesterday.  With mortgage rates changing daily, it’s a good idea to check today’s rate before applying…

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson disclosed receiving concert tickets from pop superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, one of several notable items revealed Friday in the high court’s latest financial disclosure reports.Jackson valued the four tickets at $3,711.84, according to her annual disclosure form, which covered all of 2023.It’s unclear precisely which show Jackson or her family attended, but Knowles-Carter played a sold-out show in a thunderstorm in the Washington D.C. area in August 2023. The Renaissance Tour concert was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who later disclosed a gift of tickets from Knowles-Carter on her own annual disclosure forms, citing…

Your student loan bill may get smaller next month.Here’s why: A feature of the Biden administration’s latest income-driven repayment plan that will reduce millions of borrowers’ monthly payments kicks in on July 1.For some borrowers, “it’s a dramatic drop,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.Last summer, President Joe Biden rolled out the new program, called the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, describing it as “the most affordable student loan plan ever.” So far, around 8 million borrowers have signed up for SAVE, according to the White House.Under IDR plans, borrowers pay a share of their discretionary income each…

Adults bought more toys for themselves than for any other age group last quarter for the first time ever, surpassing toys for even the historically-dominant preschooler market. Consumers 18 years of age and up spent $1.5 billion in toy-related purchases in the period from January through April, overtaking the three-to five-year-old demographic as the most important age group for the toy industry, according to a new report from market research firm Circana. Looking back over a longer period, the report said as many as 43% of adults purchased a toy for themselves in the past year, with the top reasons…

Asset allocation isn’t dead. While we’ve been in a cycle where any diversification around the U.S. large-cap stocks detracted from performance, it’s still just a cycle which in turn will end and bring with it a new set of potential outcomes. If you’re in agreement, and are looking for a fund that provides a mix of asset class exposure designed to generate real return, then the SPDR® SSgA Multi-Asset Real Return ETF (NYSEARCA:RLY) is worth considering. RLY was launched in April 2012 as an actively managed exchange-traded fund, or ETF, seeking real returns through capital appreciation and current income. The…

Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for freeThe stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White HouseFrench President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday his country will send some Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine and train pilots to fly them, as part of a step-up in aid to help Kyiv resist Russian advances in its territory. The pledge came after Nato allies, including Belgium, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, committed to dispatching about 80 US-made F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Macron said France was seeking to put together a coalition of countries that own the Mirage 2000…