Economist cover: The union’s troubled state

Stocks bolted ahead last week as investors cheered the last big week of Q2 corporate reports and a Friday jobs update that put the spotlight on the Fed’s next move with short-term rates.

Fed policy and stock splits helped power market moves

The recent upward move in USD

The U.S. budget deficit, which has been a point of discussion among economists and investors, recently received a downgrade in credit rating from Fitch Ratings agency, citing expected fiscal deterioration, a high and growing general government debt burden, and erosion of governance.