Sage Investment Club

U.S. employment costs rise more slowly, but still too fast for Fed comfort

The numbers: The U.S. employment cost index rose more slowly at the end of 2022 for the third quarter in a row, but worker compensation still rose a sharp 1% and didn’t offer much comfort to the Federal Reserve as it fights to tame inflation. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a […]

The Fed and the stock market are set for a showdown this week. What’s at stake.

Let’s get ready to rumble.The Federal Reserve and investors appear to be locked in what one veteran market watcher has described as an epic game of “chicken.” What Fed Chair Jerome Powell says Wednesday could determine the winner. Here’s the conflict. Fed policy makers have steadily insisted that the fed-funds rate, now at 4.25% to […]

IAG shares fall in Australia after massive flooding in New Zealand

SYDNEY — Shares in Insurance Australia Group Ltd. IAG, -3.74% fell early Monday after the general insurer said that claims in New Zealand will likely rise after severe storms and flooding around Auckland, and that it may review its natural peril costs for fiscal 2023. The stock was down 4.5% to 4.88 Australian dollars (US$3.45), […]

McDonald’s earnings haven’t been hit by higher prices, as ‘it just seems like Americans are more upset by the change in price at grocery stores’

Rising prices have kept diners away from many restaurants, but not McDonald’s Corp. As the ubiquitous burger chain prepares to report fourth-quarter results on Tuesday with its stock close to record highs, Wall Street could get pickier about signs of the company’s growth, though analysts were largely upbeat heading into the report. Some said McDonald’s […]

Getting divorced? 3 financial obstacles couples face now  

January is traditionally known as “divorce month” because couples stick out the holidays and then call lawyers as soon as they get back to work in the new year. But after a financially brutal 2022, many couples that want to call it quits are having a hard time with the math.  “Everything is topsy-turvy. There’s […]

U.S. consumer sentiment strengthens in final January reading

The numbers: U.S. consumer sentiment improved in late January to 64.9, according to the University of Michigan’s gauge of consumer attitudes. This added 5.2 index points from 59.7 in December and was up from the initial January reading of 64.6. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast an unchanged reading of 64.6. Key […]