Last week, the debt ceiling drama finally came to an end with a deal that appeared to satisfy no one.

The Federal Reserve met last week and raised the federal funds rate another 75 basis points (0.75%) to a range of 3.75%-4.00%. This really wasn’t a surprise; the markets pretty much expected the fourth consecutive increase of 75 basis points. (It’s the sixth move upward in 2022.)

The market tanked on the CPI announcement at first, then rocketed back up. The Dow went on a wild swing over 1,400 points; when the smoke cleared, the Dow was up over 800 points and nearly 3% for the day. But by Friday, rising rate fears again gripped the markets and the 10-year Treasury rose above 4%. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended down for the week, with the Dow squeaking out a gain.

It’s not unusual to hear the Federal Reserve being bashed or praised — sometimes both in the same day. That’s because its ability to stimulate or stifle the economy is powerful but not always popular. Learn why.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the 2020 elections followed this same pattern? Yet even without Republican primaries, the spectrum of Democratic candidates has demonstrated that competition can be cutthroat, no matter how unified a political party.