Our previous experiences with "stagflation", as the double economic whammy of slowing growth and rising inflation is known, occurred in the '70s and early '80s.

Brazil is actually the fifth largest country in the world by population and is by far the largest Portuguese-speaking nation on the globe (sorry, Portugal).

With the recent volatility in the markets stemming from the sub-prime debacle, investors are closely eyeing the moves of the Federal Reserve (the Fed) in hopes of lower rates. But why is this?

What is the connection between the interest rates the Fed meets to discuss and the stocks in your equity portfolio?