For Teachers: Lessons on the Fed

The Stock Market Game Week in Review: Feb. 18-22

While the East Coast was in the midst of a winter storm that made travel quite messy, it was yet another rough week on Wall Street. The stock market finished with a sharp loss Thursday, Feb. 14 with the Dow falling more than 140 points after bleak readings on the economy. Investors showed their disappointment when the Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported regional manufacturing fell more than predicted. Another piece of bad news was the Conference Board's January index of leading economic indicators, which posted its fourth straight drop.

The Fed , which meets again in mid-March, has forecast slower growth and continued risks to the economy from housing and credit markets. Although the central bank has assured investors it will lower rates again if necessary, it doesn't appear as though the expectation has been enough to galvanize confidence in the stock market and the overall economy. A big loser last week among the Dow's 30 components was General Motors (GM Quote), which has experienced a rough road for the past couple of years. The recent drop came after GMAC, which is part-owned by GM, announced it will slash hundreds of jobs at its auto finance business.

Those companies experiencing a more positive week included Research In Motion (RIMM Quote) -- maker of the BlackBerry -- and PG&E(PCG Quote). ...