Investing Insights (Video)

The sheer size and consumer orientation of the U.S. economy will be a big swing factor in the export and growth trajectories of other countries, says Morningstar's Bob Johnson.

Five stats from the market and the stories behind them. This week: a shakeup in J.C. Penney's board, the DOJ seeks to ground a major airline merger, and BlackBerry mulls a sale.

Consumer data have risen off recent lows but are still closer to the bottom than the top of their recent ranges and facing some headwinds, reports Morningstar's Bob Johnson.

With so many uncertainties facing investors, it just makes sense to give your retirement plan some extra breathing room.

Five stats from the market and the stories behind them. This week: the Bank of England gets explicit, housing reform at the door, and a good deal delivered to Washington Post shareholders.

How investors can use the recent interest-rate-driven disruption as a stress-test for their portfolios. Plus, a new retirement income tool and some good news on prescription-drug costs.

A rising-rate environment has historically led dividend payers to underperform, but that is no reason to abandon these high-quality companies, says Morningstar's Josh Peters.

Five stats from the market and the stories behind them. This week: More trouble for China, Facebook gets mobilized, Boeing still going, and more.

The housing market has plenty of runway, but several headwinds will hold it back in the near term, says Morningstar's Bob Johnson.

Morningstar's John Rekenthaler offers his take on whether market hot spots, such as low-volatility funds, alternatives, and multi-asset-class income vehicles, have long-term staying power.

Solid iPhone sales and aggressive share repurchases outweighed iPad weakness and a China slowdown in Apple's fiscal third quarter, says Morningstar's Brian Colello.

The market is valuing stocks on a more normalized level of interest rates, not the actual current level, so a rise in rates shouldn't really hurt equities, argues manager John Osterweis.

Morningstar markets editor Jeremy Glaser's five biggest takeaways since The Friday Five's first episode almost four years ago.

Negative second-quarter GDP growth is not out of the question, says Morningstar's Bob Johnson, but the third and fourth quarters should rebound.

Companies that have solid intellectual property and very strong portfolios around software will continue to drive earnings growth and are good long-term holdings, says Morningstar's Grady Burkett.