FEI Weekly

February 1, 2018

The economic buzzword of 2018 and America's 401(k) millionaires.

Tax Cut Profits Bring AT&T Closer to Time Warner Acquisition

Fortune

The corporate tax overhaul passed by the Trump administration in December helped the telecom book a $19 billion profit in the fourth quarter that will result in $3 billion in extra cash this year, a sum AT&T plans to spend on bolstering its network. Its chief executive voiced confidence the company will complete its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc.

New Challenges for Incoming Fed Chair

CNN Money

Economists are watching whether inflation finally picks up this year. Unemployment is low, and the job market is tight, so employers will have to pay more to attract and keep workers. That means businesses may have to raise prices. Incoming Fed Chair Jay Powell will watch how quickly inflation speeds up. The Fed has penciled in three interest-rate increases this year. But if inflation stays below the Fed's 2% target -- the level policy makers consider healthy for the economy -- three could be too many.

The Economic Buzzword You Need to Know

Quartz

The best way to show you’re in the know in economic circles is by throwing around the word “synchronous.” For the first time since the financial crisis, the global economy is “operating at or near full capacity,” the World Bank said this month (in other words, experiencing a synchronized growth upswing). “Roaming around Davos, it seems to be consensus among most participants here that 2018 is going to be a pretty good year for the global economy,” said Ray Nolte, the chief investment officer of SkyBridge Capital.

401(k) Millionaires: A Sign of Confidence or A Warning?

Market Watch

How are Americans’ 401(k)s doing? Just check Twitter. In what many will see as the latest sign of investor euphoria — and of our society’s oversharing epidemic — sharing your 401(k) balance on social media seems to have become a thing. The outpouring of 401(k) celebrations comes at a time when many market watchers are wondering if investor euphoria is getting out of hand, and if average investors are ignoring the many warning flags and risk factors on the horizon.

The Best and Worst Words to Use on Your Resume

Ladders

'Managed,' 'established,' 'defined,' and 'performed' may be active verbs, but they don't sell your future employer on what you are able to do, or what benefits you are able to bring to their team. Success verbs, on the other hand, demonstrate success — something got better. Because you were there, something changed, something improved, something progressed. Verbs such as 'increased,' 'decreased,' 'improved,' 'reduced,' are all success verbs.