Our experts explore a listener’s dilemma on timing his 401(k) contributions and whether he should pay off his mortgage before retirement, discussing the decisions from both a financial and emotional standpoint.
A sharp selloff in China’s market resulted in a rocky trading day for the U.S. markets. Most blue chip stocks retreated, and Energy stocks traded lower on a downswing in crude oil prices. West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 0.8%, settling at $36.76 a barrel. Trading on Tuesday closed with gains, with Consumer Staples and Telecommunication stocks helping the tepid recovery from the sharp selloff that started the year. The rally was short-lived as the markets closed Wednesday in the red zone, brought down by Energy stocks. Additionally, Energy Information Administration showed an unexpected increase of 2.6 million barrels in crude inventories in the past week. Analysts were forecasting a decline in reserves. National Association of Realtors data showed a 0.9% decrease in November for pending home sales. Stocks continued to tumble Thursday following Labor Department data which showed that initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 277,000 last week. The decline seemed to level out on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an addition of 292,000 jobs in December. Looking elsewhere, manufacturing levels made a fractional retreat in December. The Institute for Supply Management’s survey slipped to 48.2 from November’s reading of 48.6.