Thursday,
July 27, 2023

Market recap

Dow Jones

35,520.12

+82.05 (0.23%)

S&P 500

4,566.75

-0.71 (-0.02%)

Nasdaq

14,127.28

-17.27 (-0.12%)

Alphabet

$129.27

+$7.06 (+5.78%)

Apple

$194.50

+$0.88 (+0.45%)

DoorDash

$86.11

+$0.66 (+0.77%)

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Top Story

Outliving their retirement fund is a serious concern for millions of Americans. But retirees can now protect up to $200,000 of their retirement nest egg from market risk.

Congress just bumped up QLAC contribution limits by more than a third. Now is a great time to examine the pros and cons of these investment vehicles to help determine if they’re right for you.

Read more >>

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US stocks were mixed Wednesday after the Federal Reserve confirmed a 25-basis-point rate increase.

•   In his speech following the latest interest rate decision, Chairman Powell underscored the Fed’s commitment to reaching its 2% target. He also reiterated the central bank’s data-driven approach going forward. While committee members still anticipate a final hike before the end of the year, incoming growth, labor, and inflation data will continue to primarily influence future decisions.

•   Alphabet (GOOGL) reported better-than-expected revenue and profit for the second quarter. The tech giant’s beat was driven by growth in its cloud-computing unit. The company's revenue rose 7% year-over-year to $74.6 billion, while cloud revenue climbed 28% year-over-year. Overall, Alphabet's net income rose to $18.37 billion.

•   Coca-Cola (KO) reported earnings and revenue exceeding Wall Street's estimates. Coca-Cola has been raising prices across its portfolio, which contributed to its strong performance. Despite price hikes, Coca-Cola's unit case volume remained flat worldwide. The company also raised its full-year outlook, following in the footsteps of rival PepsiCo (PEP).

What to be on the lookout for today

•   The Q2 quarterly growth rate will be released. In the first quarter, the US economy grew at an annualized rate of 2%, well above forecasts.

•   Honeywell (HON), Ford (F), Comcast (CMCSA), McDonald's (MCD), Mastercard (MA), and Intel (INTC) will all report earnings. Notably, investors will be looking to Intel for updates on its CPU roadmap and how the chipmaker plans to close the gap between competitors like NVIDIA (NVDA).

The Fed is going to get what it wants and we don’t get a vote.

As investors, we’ve wondered for a long time what the appropriate level of rates are to solve the inflation problem without inflicting too much pain on the economy. The Fed wonders the same thing.

Will the latest 25-bps rate hike help to solve the inflation problem? In her column titled “Back in the Hike Life” SoFi’s Head of Investment Strategy, Liz Young, weighs in.


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Today’s top stories

Why is the price of home insurance surging?
A storm is brewing for US homeowners. But these strategies can help batten down the hatches…
Read more >>

Tech giants are joining forces to take down the Google (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) map-opoly.
The Overture Maps Foundation aims to establish an open source for maps data. It could open affordable new avenues for companies and consumers alike.
Read more >>

Before you buy products marketed as sustainable or eco-friendly, or invest in a green company that makes similar claims, it may help to know some of the red flags of greenwashing.
Greenwashing is when a company markets itself as more eco friendly than it actually is, to attract customers who care about sustainable products. Here are some red flags to look out for when purchasing a product, or investing in a company that claims to embrace sustainability.
Read more >>

Not-so-breaking news

Financial planner tip of the day

“Life insurance isn’t necessarily a must-have for everyone. But if you have dependents or debt — or think you might someday — you may want to take a closer look at whether life insurance could be a financial tool to help protect your loved ones and your legacy.”

Brian Walsh, CFP® at SoFi

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