As a physician, you understand your medical specialty inside and out, but at the same time, you also need to be able to handle the financial challenges associated with your industry. That may include juggling a lot of student and professional debt, running your own clinic, saving for the future, and creating contingency plans for … Read more
With 20% of S&P 500 Index companies having reported first quarter results so far, earnings season has been a mixed bag. In our April 13 earnings preview, we noted that S&P 500 Index earnings for the quarter were expected to decline 10% year over year, based on FactSet’s consensus estimates from analysts. That number is minus 15% … Read more
As the coronavirus crisis hit a fever pitch in late March 2020, Congress passed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion relief package known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While much of the CARES Act focuses on keeping businesses afloat in these troubled times, certain provisions are intended to provide direct aid to … Read more
The economic data keeps getting worse, yet stocks have been in the midst of one of the greatest multi-week rallies ever. As the LPL Chart of the Day shows, the S&P 500 Index gained 27.2% in the 15 days after the March 23 lows, the greatest three-week rally since 1933. Take note, this rally took place … Read more
From the financial pressures of running a small practice to the repayment of hefty student loans, these three careers (and the people who pursue them) can have more in common than you may think. Those working in the medical, legal, and accounting fields can have complex financial needs, and a financial professional who doesn’t regularly deal with … Read more
Cybercriminals are using the pandemic for commercial gain, deploying a variety of ransomware and other malware. Both APT groups and cybercriminals are likely to continue to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming weeks and months. Threats observed include: Malicious cyber actors rely on basic social engineering methods to entice a user to carry out … Read more
Being a healthcare worker can be a stressful and tiring job at the best of times, but in the face of vast uncertainty and fear around the coronavirus, this profession has become even harder. If you are a healthcare worker on the front lines of the coronavirus, you are bravely dealing with an unprecedented situation … Read more
The economic damage inflicted by the current COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented, with thousands of businesses temporarily shuttered and millions of workers out of work. While the historic drop in economic activity is real and will be reflected in the second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, some nuances in the way GDP is reported … Read more
The United States has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country, and in an attempt to stop the spread of this disease, states have closed schools and businesses throughout the country. These unprecedented shutdowns have pushed many people out of work, hurt businesses, and brought much of the economy to a screeching halt. … Read more
Weekly new jobless claims were reported this morning, and to no one’s surprise they rose to levels thought unimaginable just a few weeks ago. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, 3.3 million people filed new claims for unemployment benefits in the week ending March 21, almost 5 times the previous high of … Read more
With US equities firmly in a bear market, even the most long-term investors are now looking ahead to when the selling may stop and where the S&P 500 Index might ultimately bottom. “Nobody knows exactly how this market bottom will play out,” said LPL Financial Senior Market Strategist Ryan Detrick. “However, using history as guide, … Read more
The Federal Reserve (Fed) surprised markets over the weekend by holding its March 17-scheduled meeting a few days early and introducing a wide range of provisions. Those provisions are intended to add liquidity, increase credit availability, lower the cost of borrowing, and eventually support the economy’s recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Usually, Fed actions … Read more
Our Partners:
