Market Basics
Plain-language explainers for the events our briefs and news cover every day. Educational context only — never investment advice.
Explainers (7)
What is an 8-K?
The SEC filing that tells you something material just happened at a US company — and how to read one without the hype.
What does CPI mean for markets?
Why one inflation print can dominate a whole trading session, what the number actually measures, and what to watch beyond the headline.
What is PCE — and why does the Fed prefer it?
The other inflation gauge: how PCE differs from CPI and why the Fed's target is written in PCE terms.
What happens on FOMC day?
The timeline of a Federal Reserve decision day — statement, projections, press conference — and why markets often move twice.
Why does a Fed rate decision matter?
How a single interest rate ripples through borrowing costs, currencies, equity valuations and crypto.
What does 'one-sided' or 'unconfirmed' mean in market news?
Our verification states explained: rumour, one-sided, disputed, confirmed, denied — and why silence is never treated as denial.
Why can Bitcoin move around US macro releases?
BTC has no earnings and no CPI basket — so why does it react to Fed statements and inflation prints?