Gerry Sparrow

Amid all the market turbulence of late, the Fed was a steadying influence. Stocks notched a solid gain last week as upbeat comments from the Fed helped stocks snap their four-week losing streak.

By Tuesday's close, all three averages were down 3 percent on the week, and the S&P had given up its post-election gains. Stocks fell as tariffs affected Canada, Mexico, and China. Each country announced retaliatory tariffs of their own, further fanning inflationary fears among investors.

The week began under pressure after the White House said 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada would begin after the 30-day pause ends in early March.

Investors were forced to navigate a week of disappointing news about the economy and inflation as the S&P 500 Index declined 1.66 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 2.51 percent.

Stocks advanced last week despite some intra-week volatility, punctuated by comments from Fed Chair Powell, who said the central bank doesn’t “need to be in a hurry” to lower interior rates further.

The markets were caught off guard by the new AI startup based in China - but was it a “black swan” event or just another development in the fast-moving world of AI?

The “Goldilocks” narrative—an economy that’s neither too hot nor too cold—made a comeback last week.

The two economic reports on Tuesday—job openings and the prices-paid index among service companies—raised fresh inflation concerns.

Stocks finished the week mixed, bookending losses around midweek gains as investors digested fresh inflation data.

The recent jobs report was good, but will it affect Fed's decisions?

The path to the Fed’s stated goal of 2 percent inflation may prove bumpy.

There were signals of some uncertainty about the pace of future rate cuts, which slightly unsettled the markets.