Wealthtrack

Are you feeling at all overwhelmed by the pace and degree of change we are experiencing in the world, the economy, the markets, life in general? A series of head-spinning turns in events ranging from rising inflation and interest rates, Russia’s relentless and brutal assault on Ukraine, and a surprise leak of a draft of a  momentous Supreme Court opinion are perfectly encapsulated by the dramatic market action of the last two days. After the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates by half a percentage point (50 basis points) on Wednesday the Dow experienced its largest gain since 2000, up more than 900 points, nearly 3% to 34,061.06. Investors were evidently reassured by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments that the central bank was not “actively considering” raising rates by a sharper three-quarters of a percent (75 basis points). That reassurance turned to doubt on Thursday when the Dow made a U-turn, falling 1,063 points, a 3.1% drop, its largest decline this year. As we have covered in seve