David Dittman

2 weeks ago | kiplinger.com | Karee Venema |David Dittman |David Payne |Dan Burrows

Can Trump fire Powell? In addition to upending the global economy with his tariffs, President Donald Trump has introduced additional uncertainty for financial markets by undermining the independence of the Federal Reserve and Fed Chair Jerome Powell in a series of public attacks. His behavior could render moot whatever the result of a pending Supreme Court review of a 90-year-old case that could answer the question, can Trump fire Powell?

2 months ago | kiplinger.com | David Dittman |Joey Solitro

Equity futures pointed higher until about 45 minutes before Thursday's opening bell, when President Donald Trump said planned tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China will take effect on March 4. Incoming data continue to indicate a relatively stable if not quite normal economy. But the president's post marked the beginning of another up-and-down session for investors, traders and speculators.

2 months ago | kiplinger.com | David Dittman |Joey Solitro

A big-box bellwether reported strong fourth-quarter earnings but offered weak full-year guidance on Thursday, a follow-up to a soft January retail sales report that could further undermine faith in the U.S. consumer as an engine of global economic growth. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump is carving a new, new world order complete with budget cuts at the Pentagon and a corresponding impact on defense stocks.

2 months ago | kiplinger.com | David Dittman |Joey Solitro

Early on Friday, the S&P 500 was less than a point from reaching a new all-time high. Earnings and guidance generally reflect solid ground-level conditions, and incoming data still present, at worst, a fair-to-middling macro picture. At the end of an up-and-down trading session, the S&P 500 was little changed. But that was enough for the widely watched stock market gauge to wrap up an eventful week in positive territory.

Feb 13, 2025 | kiplinger.com | David Dittman |Joey Solitro

Investors and traders responded to nuances around another hot inflation report on Thursday. And they shrugged off a pre-market social media post and a late-day press conference on potential new tariffs from President Donald J. Trump. Yields declined sharply, and tech stocks led what looks like an old-fashioned relief rally. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the Producer Price Index (PPI) ticked up to 0.4% in January, ahead of a consensus forecast of 0.3%.