Index

Monthly economic reports can move markets, so you might want to brush up on your macroeconomics. Watch for the jobs report, GDP, and CPI.

Tesla’s addition to the benchmark S&P 500, which will result in the largest-ever rebalancing of the index, has big implications for the broader market because of Tesla’s market cap.

After years of tepid inflation—that is, a general rise in prices—recent readings indicate it could be on the rise, helped by dovish monetary policy and fiscal stimulus. Is that good or bad? Here's a primer on inflation and what it could mean for your portfolio.

Why do stock indices change their components and what happens when there's a change?

Interpreting reports on industrial production and capacity utilization can help traders and investors identify the state of the economic business cycle.

Learn about the Bollinger Bands technical indicator and how it can help identify volatility and overbought/oversold conditions in stocks and indices.

Large caps might get a lot of attention, but small-cap stocks are still a popular investment subset. And it’s important to track them separately from their larger siblings. Learn about small-cap stocks and the Russell 2000 Index.

Index funds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Actively managed funds versus passive management. What do all these terms mean? Here’s a breakdown for investors.

SPX and S&P 500 futures don’t always move up and down together. Which one should you look at if you want to know what the market might be doing?

Learn about fixed and variable annuities and how you might use them to help turn your retirement savings into income for life.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) has scaled all-time high after all-time high this year. But what about transportation index?

Learn about the VIX and other volatility indexes and how some investors use them to assess potential risk.

Can you calculate fear? Certain market measures help traders determine when the market seems “fearful.” Learn to do this for yourself to better evaluate risk.

While no single indicator can provide a full, guaranteed snapshot of an economy, the Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) covers a lot of ground.

The S&P 500 is in a short-term trading range, but remains in a long-term bullish trend. Here’s how some investors are trading the range.

Learn why the Fed and traders follow the personal income and spending reports, especially the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index.

In recent years, passively managed index funds have attracted big money flows. What are the advantages and risks of investing in index funds?

There’s a way to generate “income” from dead investments, even if they aren’t optionable—how to hedge mutual funds with options.

Ask yourself if your investing goals and personality traits favor active or passive strategies—or combining the best of both in a smart beta approach.

The rising costs and spotty track record of actively managed funds leads some investors straight to indexing. Others are looking for their stock market savior.

The Dow has long been viewed as a proxy for the U.S. market and economy, but investors should be mindful of its limitations.

Climate-conscientious stock-picking that's evolved past volatile solar and wind.

The line between “good” and “bad” inflation is a thin one and tough to recognize. We grade the standard inflation measures.