Market & Economic Sentiment Hub
Raw numbers from the real economy, translated into what they actually mean for your budget, your savings, and your investments.
Nobody's Translation: The index is up 0.39% today. The S&P 500 tracks 500 of the largest US companies. If you own an index fund, this is roughly what your portfolio did today.
Nobody's Translation: VIX at 16.76 means the market is in normal range. This is priced from options activity on the S&P 500.
Nobody's Translation: The Fed currently charges banks 3.63% to borrow overnight. This rate flows directly into your mortgage rate, car loan, credit card APR, and high-yield savings account yield. Rates are relatively low. Great time to lock in debt, but savings yields are minimal.
Nobody's Translation: This number tracks the price of a basket of everyday goods. A score of 334 means that what cost $100 back in 1984 now costs $334. Your dollar has lost about 70% of its purchasing power since then. When this number keeps climbing, your paycheck buys a little less each year.
Data sources: S&P 500 and VIX via Yahoo Finance (refreshed every 5 min). CPI and Fed Funds Rate via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), refreshed hourly. All values are informational only. Not financial advice.