Despite fears, the best advice right now is to do nothing
Consumer spending stayed strong in August, despite the problems in mortgage and real estate markets that some feared would put a brake on Americans' willingness to open their wallets, according to a government report issued Friday.
Stocks pointed to a narrowly weaker open Friday despite a tame inflation reading as investors awaited a host of economic reports.
With the dollar's further fall all but certain, the winners and losers are starting to come into clearer focus.
Stocks turned higher early Wednesday afternoon, following a choppy morning swayed by record-high oil prices and the dollar's plummet to a record low versus the euro.
Stocks were mixed Wednesday morning, following the previous session's big runup, as investors mulled record-high oil prices and the dollar's plummet to a record low versus the euro.
U.S. stock futures surged Friday after the Federal Reserve moved to cut the discount rate, even as it kept the benchmark rate unchanged.
Stocks could be in for more pain Monday following last week's selloff, the worst on Wall Street in years.
Traders returning from the mid-week holiday will have plenty on their plate Thursday as they digest deal news and gear up for release of the government's closely watched employment report.
ANNE SCHUETTE, SADLY, WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN HER mother Dorothy died in 2003 after years of battling cancer. But discovering that her mother had left her and her two siblings $400,000 each was a shock. "I had no idea she had that much money," says Anne, 48, who described the revelation as "bittersweet."
Despite fears, the best advice right now is to do nothing
Consumer spending stayed strong in August, despite the problems in mortgage and real estate markets that some feared would put a brake on Americans' willingness to open their wallets, according to a government report issued Friday.
Stocks pointed to a narrowly weaker open Friday despite a tame inflation reading as investors awaited a host of economic reports.
With the dollar's further fall all but certain, the winners and losers are starting to come into clearer focus.
Stocks turned higher early Wednesday afternoon, following a choppy morning swayed by record-high oil prices and the dollar's plummet to a record low versus the euro.
Stocks were mixed Wednesday morning, following the previous session's big runup, as investors mulled record-high oil prices and the dollar's plummet to a record low versus the euro.
U.S. stock futures surged Friday after the Federal Reserve moved to cut the discount rate, even as it kept the benchmark rate unchanged.
Stocks could be in for more pain Monday following last week's selloff, the worst on Wall Street in years.
Traders returning from the mid-week holiday will have plenty on their plate Thursday as they digest deal news and gear up for release of the government's closely watched employment report.
ANNE SCHUETTE, SADLY, WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN HER mother Dorothy died in 2003 after years of battling cancer. But discovering that her mother had left her and her two siblings $400,000 each was a shock. "I had no idea she had that much money," says Anne, 48, who described the revelation as "bittersweet."
The Federal Reserve left a key short-term interest rate unchanged Thursday and indicated it was still worried about inflation, a sign the central bank will leave rates alone for a while instead of cutting them despite concerns about a sluggish economy.
Anne Schuette, sadly, was not surprised when her mother, Dorothy, died in 2003 after years of battling cancer. But discovering that her mother had left her and her two siblings $400,000 each was a shock. "I had no idea she had that much money," says Anne, 48, who described the revelation as "bittersweet."
The last time stocks were setting records the way Wall Street is now was way back in March of 2000, and we all remember how that ended.
Disappointing results and outlook from tech bellwether Dell, combined with another selloff in overseas stocks, could knock U.S. stocks for an initial big loss Friday.
Stocks were set for some turbulence on Wall Street Friday after the latest government report showed that the housing slump in January was much worse than anticipated.
U.S. stocks were set to open lower Monday as investors continue to worry about the state of the nation's economy.
U.S. stocks were set to open lower Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve raised concerns about a weaker economy and a day before the government's closely watched monthly employment figures.
Stocks clung to a tight range near midday Friday, with investors content to hold on to recent gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.
Stocks rose modestly Friday morning, with investors extending gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.
Wall Street edged lower Friday as Apple options and merger news dominate the headlines.
Stocks crept higher Friday morning, extending gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.
Stocks looked set to open mixed Friday after Apple filed its quarterly report and a spate of deal news capped a year abuzz with merger activity.
The Dow Jones industrial average's closing record is on the line Wednesday, but it could have trouble getting there due to an economic report that showed very weak demand for big ticket items.
The Federal Reserve decided not to raise interest rates earlier this month. And after the minutes from that meeting were released Tuesday, investors quickly decided that the Fed's more than two-year interest rate hiking campaign may be over for the foreseeable future.
A rally in oil prices could put a damper on the start of Friday's U.S. stock trading, as traders await the latest comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
My company matches 50 cents for every dollar I put into my 401(k). I just started this year and have a balance of about $1,200. I know nothing about investing, however. So what should I invest in to increase my account balance? --George Carter, Hickory, North Carolina
A warning from telecom equipment maker Lucent Technologies could push tech stocks lower when U.S. markets open Tuesday.
Investors will be closely watching Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony before a congressional committee Thursday for clues about the future of interest rates and the state of the U.S. economy.
Investors were looking ahead to the latest reading on fuel inventories for what it will mean about the direction of oil prices and stocks.
Stocks looked to open mixed Friday after weaker-than-expected December retail sales and a relatively tame reading on core producer prices.
Listen to advisers and the financial press blather on about the importance of picking top investments, and you'd expect a grim retirement unless you're a mutual-fund-picking wizard.
Marsh & McLennan continues to face significant challenges, particularly in its troubled Marsh and Putnam units, but the company should start to see some improvement in 2006, the company's top executive said.
Bond prices fell Wednesday as investors continued to digest the Federal Reserve's decision Tuesday to raise interest rates and the likelihood of future rate hikes.
What looks to be shaping up as a strong earnings season still has Wall Street scared to death.
Stocks were poised to run into trouble early Wednesday following a disappointing sales outlook from No. 1 chipmaker Intel that dampened even a surprise increase in housing starts.
Stocks looked likely to stall at the start of trading Wednesday on comments from members of the Federal Reserve that more interest rate hikes are in still in the pipeline.
Stocks could have some trouble at the start of the last day of a strong quarter Friday.
With oil and gasoline prices soaring, it may be tougher and tougher for the Federal Reserve to keep dismissing the effect that oil is having on the economy.
Is the Federal Reserve finally ready to put away its rate-hiking boots? Probably not.
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point for the ninth straight time Thursday, a year to the day after its first rate hike, and gave no indication it was through in its campaign to ward off inflation.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Actions may speak louder than words in most aspects of life, but that's not necessarily true on Wall Street. Just take a look at how investors treat news from the Federal Reserve.
The latest inflation reading and oil prices could send stocks lower at the start of trading Wednesday.
Hiring has been surprising weak during some of the strongest periods of economic growth in recent years.
IT'S A BUBBLE! 2.2 mil. Homes starting construction in February (annualized)
What's better than learning from your own mistakes? Learning from someone else's. You get the gain without the pain. This month's column will give you that chance--specifically, the opportunity to ...
What's better than learning from your own mistakes? Learning from someone else's. You get the gain without the pain.
The Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates another quarter point Tuesday and said it expected to keep boosting rates at a "measured" pace -- but the central bank put investors on notice that it was growing more concerned about inflation.
With the markets in limbo before a looming interest rate hike, two money managers appeared on CNNfn to suggest some stocks in the retail, chip and tech sectors.
Six months ago we called it the greed machine.
U.S. stocks were pointed in a positive direction early Wednesday, the day after the Federal Reserve signaled that interest rate hikes are in the offing.
Federal Reserve policy-makers held a key interest rate at the lowest level in more than 40 years Tuesday, but dropped a long-held pledge to be "patient" before raising rates, setting the stage for future increases.
Last year's scandals cast a pall over the $7 trillion mutual fund industry, but bottom-line damage has mostly been limited to a few prominent offenders like Putnam Investments and Janus Capital. Co...
The Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed that two former star portfolio managers at Putnam Investments, charged with civil fraud in the fund scandal, were paid $14.3 million and $8.7 million in 2000, Thursday's Wall Street Journal reported.
Federal Reserve policy-makers held a key interest rate at the lowest level in more than 40 years Tuesday and again pledged to be "patient" before raising rates.
Businesses made more merger deals in February than any time since the bubble days of 2000, a tracking group said Tuesday -- good news for bankers and the economy in the long run, but bad news for workers in the short run.
>> Nothing like a scandal to spur change. After being sued by regulators--and watching investors flee--Putnam Investments has moved to cut fees and improve shareholder disclosure. As we argued in o...
FleetBoston Financial Corp. (FBF), responding to civil fraud charges in the mutual-fund trading scandal, placed on leave eight portfolio managers and executives, including the co-presidents of its funds-distribution unit, a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. job-cut announcements dipped in December, according to a report Tuesday by an outplacement firm, adding another brush stroke to a mixed picture of the long-suffering labor market.
Just so there's no doubt about it, Boston's Putnam Investments puts its credo on its website for all to see: "Putnam's disciplined investment philosophy is based on STYLE CONSISTENCY....Our truth-i...
With the euro sliding to a near all-time low against the greenback, you might think that all the bargain hunting these days is being done by Visa-toting tourists on the Ponte Vecchio. But in fact s...
Ask mutual fund marketing expert Lou Harvey of the consulting firm Dalbar if investors will ever be persuaded that the best place to buy mutual funds is at a bank, and he immediately cracks up. He ...
Don't be surprised if your favorite mutual fund company soon pops up in an interoffice memo. Fund companies are going after your retirement dollars as never before. Says Lawrence J. Lasser, preside...
Daniel Miller, the 36-year-old portfolio manager at Putnam Investments in Boston, is unafraid of superlatives. He describes his portfolio as ''best stocks from the best industries.'' Fortunately, h...
AUTOS/COVER STORY 50 THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF AUTOS Driven by the success of hot-selling vans and trucks, the Big Three are on a roll. But will Detroit grow complacent? Not this time, say U.S. car exe...
Nostalgic for the lofty bond yields of the 1980s? If you have strong nerves, you can still get up into the double digits by buying high-yield tax exempts. Typically issued by local governments to r...
ATTENTION, please, fixed-income passengers: We'd like to apologize for the recent interest-rate turbulence. As you may have noticed, that last air pocket knocked down yields on 30-year Treasuries t...
How should you pick your way through the thicket of muni bond funds? Nearly 200 tax-free funds sprang up last year, bringing the total on the investing landscape to almost 900. Do you go with a nat...
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