Edward Jones - Mae Luchetti: Financial Advisor

Swings in interest-rate expectations and bond yields continue to be a major driver of valuations and stock performance this year.

Markets pricing in a new base-case scenario: Economic downturn Over the past several weeks, and especially since the last FOMC meeting, market volatility has reemerged.

The Fed was firmly in the driver's seat for the markets this week, with the stock market recoiling and interest rates moving higher as investors digested the prospects for more aggressive rate hikes ahead as part of the Fed's mission to bring down...

Inflation remains the kryptonite of financial markets this year.

While back-to-school season is just getting underway, investors are already well into an eventful year.

Last Friday, Jerome Powell told investors at Jackson Hole that the Fed is committed to raising rates and fighting inflation until it "gets the job done." This past week, financial markets took that message seriously.

Stocks have made a less-than-pleasant round trip this summer. Major indexes entered a bear market in June, rebounded sharply in July, and are on track to finish flat in August, returning to where they were three months ago.

Last week brought a host of data shedding fresh light onto the state of the consumer. While recession worries have been stoked by high inflation, supply bottlenecks and Fed rate hikes, household finances have been a source of optimism.

Last week both CPI (consumer price index) and PPI (producer price index) inflation data for the month of July moved lower. After surprising to the upside last month, markets welcomed the lower-than-expected headline and core readings.

Last week markets faced a triple-whammy of data, including the July Federal Reserve rate decision, the second-quarter GDP (gross domestic product) reading, and the ongoing second-quarter earnings season, with a focus on large-cap technology.