Gold prices fell on Wednesday ahead of crucial consumer price inflation data, while investment bank Goldman Sachs slashed its forecasts for the precious metal, along with silver, citing increased focus on the Federal Reserve’s shifting priorities.

U.S. consumer price data for July is expected to show some moderation in the torrid pace of inflation in June and, while Wall Street might like it, the data is not expected to be encouraging for the Federal Reserve.

The consumer price index is expected to moderate to an 0.2% increase in July when the report is released Wednesday morning, down sharply from a 1.3% gain in the prior month. Lower prices at the gasoline pump are going to push the headline inflation rate lower.

Investors have had a change of heart after selling technology stocks for the better part of eight months.  

There has been a trend reversal after bellwether tech companies reported earnings for the most recent quarter.

In an earlier study, my colleague JP Aubry identified the importance of “legacy debt” in public pension plans. This debt arises because many of the retirement systems have been providing benefits since the early 1900s, but the benefits were not funded using modern actuarial practices until much later. The impact of these unfunded liabilities from a bygone era is still felt today, because the shortfall keeps getting passed forward.

If investors thought they were getting their legs in a volatile stock market, a new tax, climate and healthcare spending bill from Capitol Hill might have them trying again find their footing.

The Inflation Reduction Act’s 1% stock buyback tax, 15% corporate minimum tax and big hopes for the green energy industry all have potential ripple effects for retail investors, experts say.

If...

But she is leaving the tennis court after a legendary career that has included 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including the 2017 Australian Open while she was two months pregnant — and it sounds like she’s devastated by it. 

“I’m going to be honest. There is no happiness in this topic for me,” Williams writes in Vogue’s September issue. “I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not.” 

Read more: Serena Williams retiring from tennis to focus on family — and her venture-capital firm

Williams writes that while she is ready for what’s next, the subject of stepping off the court still brings an “uncomfortable lump” in her throat, and she cries. Moving away from tennis is such a painful subject for her, in fact, that she’s only been able to discuss it...

From roof-top solar installers to the technicians upgrading your home HVAC and green-minded urban planners, more than 3.2 million Americans now work in “clean energy” as of the start of 2022. And while California remains a leader, hiring has spanned red and blue political states from all regions.

It’s a job total that’s up 5% from a year earlier, says nonprofit advocacy organization — and as it claims, nonpartisan — E2, which stands for Environmental Entrepreneurs.

TUI AG said Wednesday that its EBIT loss narrowed for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 as customers rose 84% compared to 2019, and that it expects to return to positive underlying EBIT for the full year.

ABN AMRO Bank NV on Wednesday reported a rise in net profit for the second quarter of 2022, which came in significantly above market views, though it also posted higher operating expenses.

The Dutch lender posted a net profit of 475 million euros ($485.1 million), compared with EUR393 million a year earlier. Net profit had been expected to decline to EUR390 million, according to a bank-compiled consensus.

From roof-top solar installers to the technicians upgrading your home HVAC and green-minded urban planners, more than 3.2 million Americans now work in “clean energy” as of the start of 2022. And while California remains a leader, hiring has spanned red and blue political states from all regions.

It’s a job total that’s up 5% from a year earlier, says nonprofit advocacy organization — and as it claims, nonpartisan — E2, which stands for Environmental Entrepreneurs.

Elon Musk sold almost $7 billion in Tesla Inc. stock in recent days, according to filings Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and indicated he wants cash on hand as his legal fight with Twitter Inc. heats up.

According to the filings, the Tesla chief executive sold around 7.9 million shares between Friday and Tuesday, at prices ranging from $838.57 to $911.75 — roughly $6.88 billion in total.

Last...

E.ON SE said Wednesday that profit dipped in the second quarter but confirmed the outlook for the full year.

The German utility company said it booked a quarterly net profit of 1.43 billion euros ($1.46 billion), down from EUR1.75 billion in the year-earlier period.

Between pandemic lockdowns, health scares, contentious politics and significant inflation with rising prices, many U.S. investors might feel they’re losing control of their situations. Add to that a bear market for stocks, with a possible recession looming. 

To remain resilient, we can focus on caring for our physical, mental and financial wellness — and that of our families. We can act now to prepare for tough times over the short-term and protect long-term financial options. We can find a manageable balance between enjoying our money now and saving for what we need later. 

Both prospective home buyers and sellers are backing off from the U.S. housing market, a new survey shows.

Their anxiety over higher mortgage rates and a softening market was registered by the Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index FNMA,

But she is leaving the tennis court after a legendary career that has included 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including the 2017 Australian Open while she was two months pregnant — and it sounds like she’s devastated by it. 

“I’m going to be honest. There is no happiness in this topic for me,” Williams writes in Vogue’s September issue. “I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not.” 

Read more: Serena Williams retiring from tennis to focus on family — and her venture-capital firm

Williams writes that while she is ready for what’s next, the subject of stepping off the court still brings an “uncomfortable lump” in her throat, and she cries. Moving away from tennis is such a painful subject for her, in fact, that she’s only been able to discuss it...

The July consumer-price index to be released on Wednesday may determine whether the recent rally for stocks and crypto can be sustained, as traders look for any signs of slowing inflation.

The market is expecting at least some cooling in inflation. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal forecast that the headline consumer-price index in July to fall from a four-decade high of 9.1% to 8.7% year over year, while the core CPI number will increase from 5.9% to 6.1%. 

Between pandemic lockdowns, health scares, contentious politics and significant inflation with rising prices, many U.S. investors might feel they’re losing control of their situations. Add to that a bear market for stocks, with a possible recession looming. 

To remain resilient, we can focus on caring for our physical, mental and financial wellness — and that of our families. We can act now to prepare for tough times over the short-term and protect long-term financial options. We can find a manageable balance between enjoying our money now and saving for what we need later. 

The bear market for U.S. stocks may have ended at its mid-June low. Or it may be only half over. And, if the bear market’s second half is still ahead of us, the biggest losses may or may not be yet to come. You can take my word for it.

The reason to point out these otherwise trivial truths is to counter the endless attempts on Wall Street to slice and dice the market data. Most of those attempts amount to little more than statistically suspect data mining, revealing more about the analyst doing the mining than about the market itself.

As rents continue to rise, consumers are beginning to feel the squeeze, a report notes.

Analysis of dollars spent on Bank of America credit and debit cards in July by the Bank of America Institute found that median rent payments paid increased by 7.4%, as compared to the previous year.

Elon Musk sold almost $7 billion in Tesla Inc. stock in recent days, according to filings Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to the filings, the Tesla chief executive sold around 7.9 million shares between Friday and Tuesday, at prices ranging from $838.57 to $911.75 — roughly $6.88 billion in total.

That being said, no matter how you measure it, inflation is the highest it has been in the United States in decades. Some measures of inflation aim to capture changes in the overall cost of living while others are intended to gauge a more generalized trend. Moreover, the rate of inflation experienced by different households and different sectors of the economy can range widely.

Follow the inflation story on MarketWatch

Elon Musk sold almost $7 billion in Tesla Inc. stock in recent days, according to filings Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to the filings, the Tesla chief executive sold around 7.9 million shares between Friday and Tuesday, at prices ranging from $838.57 to $911.75.

China says its hardline policy has been successful in preventing large-scale hospitalizations and deaths, while critics, including the World Health Organization, have decried its impact on the economy and society and said it is out of step with the changing nature of the virus and new methods of prevention and treatment.

China announced 828 new cases of domestic transmission on Tuesday, 22 of them in Tibet. The majority of those cases reportedly were asymptomatic.

Meanwhile, more than 80,000 travelers remain stranded on the southern resort island of Hainan under requirements that they consistently test negative for the virus in coming days before being allowed to leave.

In the U.S., the daily average of new cases continued a recent decline, but not all data are being captured with many people testing at home. The average stood at 108,261 on Monday, according to a New York Times tracker, down 16% from two weeks ago.

The daily...

Energy-state lawmakers tend to grouse about high-paying jobs in the oil and gas industry being lost to solar and wind power. But new research shows that most alternative-energy jobs, which have tripled U.S.-wide in just two decades, are concentrated in the states where the traditional energy sector long employed residents and juiced the broader local economy.

With additional training, and a willingness to shift roles, the renewable energy job market appears healthy enough to scoop up workers who may feel displaced by what...