Dow Plunges More than 670 Points, Logging Worst Week in 2 years
Markets plunged more than 670 points, logging the worst week in 2 years. Lindsey Bell, Investment Strategist at CFRA Research, was with us to break down the factors causing stocks to tumble.
A positive jobs report that revealed 200,000 jobs in January and a 2.9% increase in wages are giving the Fed more ammo in its case to raise rates at a faster pace. It's not just rates that are a cause of concern, said Bell. The analyst said we are seeing China had a tough week over concerns over economic growth and financial regulation.
Bell said we also can't underestimate the impact the release of the GOP surveillance document had on the markets. This is a form of uncertainty, which could lead to investors pulling money out of the markets, she added. Bell said she thinks this is a healthy move downward and profit-taking is probably necessary. She said a 10% pullback could be in the cards.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
