MIDDLE CLASS WORSE OFF & NOT GETTING BETTER: A new Harris Poll survey found that more than half Americans self-identify as lower middle class or working class, with an even higher percentage of female millennials skewing themselves into the lower middle class bracket. In total, 45% of Americans say they’re worse off than before the recession and don’t think they’ll ever get back to where they were. Read more
FED’S FADING CREDIBILITY: As the Federal Reserve prepares to exit its monthly money-printing program, it faces a thorny dilemma with a market that is not buying what the central bank is selling. Fed-watchers increasingly are commenting on a dichotomy as it relates to monetary policy—namely, the disparity between what the so-called dot plot is showing regarding individual Open Market Committee members’ expectations for interest rates, and what the market believes the actual path will be. Read more
RETIREMENT STRUGGLE: When many people retire, they jump into their new lifestyle with gusto, but others mourn leaving their jobs and feel like they’ve lost part of their identity, experts say. Read more
STOCKS RALLY ON EARNINGS; DOW TOPS 17,000: Read more
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