Oil jumps after Goldman Sachs predicts it will average $140 for the second half of 2008. Traders bet that Chinese demand for diesel will push prices higher. Energy stocks shoot higher and help the markets end flat.
The numbers told me to buy World Acceptance in January when financial stocks were poison. I made 60%. Now, it's time rebalance my portfolio, take some profits and find new winners.
The Dow closes up 94 points. Techs rally after BlackBerry maker Research In Motion announces a competitor to Apple's iPhone. Carl Icahn launches his Yahoo proxy fight. Buffett adds to Burlington Northern, Wells Fargo stakes. Crude falls to $120 but rebounds.
Trickle-down economic policy may have its detractors, but when it comes to investing, it makes sense to seek advice from those on the top rung of a large online community.
Some unscrupulous agents are misrepresenting Medicare policies and even signing up retirees without their knowledge. Here's how to protect yourself and your loved ones.
South America's largest country is rich in natural resources, low in corruption and, as oil prices soar, on its way to energy self-sufficiency. It's not too late for investors to jump in -- and here's how.
A benign Consumer Price Index report and lower crude oil prices help stocks. But investors take profits on such key stocks as Apple and Google. Icahn organizes a slate to run for Yahoo's board. General Electric will sell its appliance business.
A foul-up by student-loan company Sallie Mae temporarily sends hundreds of thousands of Americans' scores plunging. Here's how to find out whether you got hit -- and what to do now.
Think you can't get blood from a stone? A downturn is a boom time for businesses that recover money or assets, usually from people who have fallen on hard times.
You don't have to be a parent to know that this country has a giant spending problem -- and that we must teach the next generation to do better. But how?
With prices for most everything soaring, here's a primer on how to play the game using exchange-traded funds -- and a selection of the best ETFs to choose from.
Yahoo and tech stocks get a boost from reports that the shareholder activist may wage a proxy fight against Yahoo's management. The Dow and S&P 500 end down slightly. Oil nearly reaches $127 a barrel. Hewlett-Packard shares dive on EDS deal.
This riskier class of corporate bonds is starting to rally as investors bet on economic recovery. Get in early to lock in high yields with an investment that's safer than stocks.
Yes, the sector looks scary right now, especially in the US. But take a look at the newly comfortable, and graying, classes around the world, and you may see a wealth of opportunity.
The low-key, mostly free ethos that guides Craigslist is at risk from a lawsuit by minority shareholder eBay, which operates a rival online-classified site.
Oil drops to $124 a barrel. Hewlett-Packard looks poised to buy EDS. Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold wows investors and helps techs rally. Clear Channel may get bought out -- at a lower price. Wal-Mart earnings are due on Tuesday.
Plus: If you have just one credit card and pay if off every month, how does it affect your credit scores? MSN Money's personal-finance expert answers reader questions.
Can't make your payments? You might be able to sell your house for less than you owe -- without paying the difference. But mortgage companies resist these so-called short sales.
Investors looking for low stress and long-term stability from the market's tides can find calm in target-date funds while still indulging in risks along the fringes.
Some unscrupulous agents are misrepresenting Medicare policies and even signing up retirees without their knowledge. Here's how to protect yourself and your loved ones.
A foul-up by student-loan company Sallie Mae temporarily sends hundreds of thousands of Americans' scores plunging. Here's how to find out whether you got hit -- and what to do now.
You don't have to be a parent to know that this country has a giant spending problem -- and that we must teach the next generation to do better. But how?
Plus: If you have just one credit card and pay if off every month, how does it affect your credit scores? MSN Money's personal-finance expert answers reader questions.
Can't make your payments? You might be able to sell your house for less than you owe -- without paying the difference. But mortgage companies resist these so-called short sales.
Yes, the sector looks scary right now, especially in the US. But take a look at the newly comfortable, and graying, classes around the world, and you may see a wealth of opportunity.
The petroleum giant is shying from risky exploration and spending money on buying back stock. Over the long haul, those moves could lead the company to go private or disappear.
Reuters - Morgan Stanley cut 1,500 jobs
this week across its investment banking, trading and asset
management businesses, a person familiar with the situation
said Friday, a 5 percent reduction of non-broker employees.
Reuters - Stocks finished little changed on
Friday as surging oil prices lifted energy shares and offset
data that showed consumer confidence sank to its lowest in 28
years.
Reuters - U.S. consumer confidence tumbled to a
28-year low this month as rising prices strained household
finances, while another drop in single-family housing starts
underscored problems still plaguing the economy.
Reuters - Investors suing Yahoo Inc
over its rebuff of Microsoft Corp's $47.5 billion
buyout bid have filed a new case that adds company co-founder
David Filo as a defendant, but they say much of their complaint
is being kept under seal at Yahoo's demand.
Reuters - Investment bank Lehman Brothers
Holdings Inc will begin cutting jobs starting next
week, CNBC Television reported on Friday, without citing
sources.
Investor's Business Daily - While China grapples with the devastating May 12 earthquake in Sichuan -- now thought to have killed 50,000 people, leaving 5 million homeless and property damage at $20 billion -- the economic toll may be mild, analysts say.
Reuters - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T)
reported a threefold increase in fourth-quarter profit,
rebounding from massive losses at its consumer finance unit a
year earlier, and it forecast modest growth ahead.
Oil jumps after Goldman Sachs predicts it will average $140 for the second half of 2008. Traders bet that Chinese demand for diesel will push prices higher. Energy stocks shoot higher and help the markets end flat.
The numbers told me to buy World Acceptance in January when financial stocks were poison. I made 60%. Now, it's time rebalance my portfolio, take some profits and find new winners.
The Dow closes up 94 points. Techs rally after BlackBerry maker Research In Motion announces a competitor to Apple's iPhone. Carl Icahn launches his Yahoo proxy fight. Buffett adds to Burlington Northern, Wells Fargo stakes. Crude falls to $120 but rebounds.
Trickle-down economic policy may have its detractors, but when it comes to investing, it makes sense to seek advice from those on the top rung of a large online community.
South America's largest country is rich in natural resources, low in corruption and, as oil prices soar, on its way to energy self-sufficiency. It's not too late for investors to jump in -- and here's how.
A benign Consumer Price Index report and lower crude oil prices help stocks. But investors take profits on such key stocks as Apple and Google. Icahn organizes a slate to run for Yahoo's board. General Electric will sell its appliance business.
Think you can't get blood from a stone? A downturn is a boom time for businesses that recover money or assets, usually from people who have fallen on hard times.
With prices for most everything soaring, here's a primer on how to play the game using exchange-traded funds -- and a selection of the best ETFs to choose from.
Yahoo and tech stocks get a boost from reports that the shareholder activist may wage a proxy fight against Yahoo's management. The Dow and S&P 500 end down slightly. Oil nearly reaches $127 a barrel. Hewlett-Packard shares dive on EDS deal.
This riskier class of corporate bonds is starting to rally as investors bet on economic recovery. Get in early to lock in high yields with an investment that's safer than stocks.
Yes, the sector looks scary right now, especially in the US. But take a look at the newly comfortable, and graying, classes around the world, and you may see a wealth of opportunity.
The low-key, mostly free ethos that guides Craigslist is at risk from a lawsuit by minority shareholder eBay, which operates a rival online-classified site.
Oil drops to $124 a barrel. Hewlett-Packard looks poised to buy EDS. Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold wows investors and helps techs rally. Clear Channel may get bought out -- at a lower price. Wal-Mart earnings are due on Tuesday.
Investors looking for low stress and long-term stability from the market's tides can find calm in target-date funds while still indulging in risks along the fringes.
Oil's gains will pressure markets next week. Stocks tumble, with the Dow off 121 points because of American International Group's huge loss. FedEx says higher fuel costs will chop second-quarter profit by 20%. Microsoft will appeal an EU fine.
Men, concentrated in the weakest sectors, are losing jobs in this downturn, while women are making gains. But women lag in pay, and much of their gains are in low-wage positions.
The petroleum giant is shying from risky exploration and spending money on buying back stock. Over the long haul, those moves could lead the company to go private or disappear.
Stocks end higher, with gains in energy, metals and technology shares. Financial stocks, however, swoon. Wal-Mart benefits from consumers' penny-pinching. Reporting a huge loss, American International Group plans to raise $12.5 billion in new capital.
The US financial engine is sputtering, but all the recent tinkering just may keep it running. Maybe we can turn off the warning signals, at least for now.
While crude oil hits new highs, weakness in financial stocks drags just about all stocks lower. Weak pending home sales hit home-building shares. International tourists help Disney work its magic. Cisco's caution pushes shares lower.
How did the nation's biggest banks stumble into the subprime crisis? Consider this: Lax boards dangled huge rewards for short-term performance with little incentive to limit risk.
Short-term rallies and wishful thinking have buyers ready to pounce, but the end of the credit mess isn't yet here. In the meantime, here's some speculation on bank stocks.
Agriculture stocks have risen like growth stocks over the past year. But one star, Archer-Daniels-Midland, is in a lull that could be a buying opportunity.
One analyst sees oil hitting $150 to $200 a barrel. Energy stocks jump, and the major indexes are higher. Fannie Mae reports a loss and cuts its dividend. Strong earnings help Cisco Systems and Walt Disney shares move higher in after-hours trading.
When interest rates are lower than inflation, we're bailing out Wall Street at the expense of retirees and working people trying to save money. That's not sustainable.
When the market turns down, investors too easily settle for weak returns. Here's one mutual fund that shows you can make money even when others aren't.
Yahoo investors sell after Microsoft gives up on a $47.5 billion offer; Microsoft shares drop as well. Stocks fall as crude oil tops $120 for the first time and ends at a new closing high. Sprint may sell or spin off Nextel.
A buyout was supposed to provide the software giant with the heft needed to block Google in Web search and online advertising. Now, it's back to the drawing board.
Many analysts look at the market's current upswing and conclude the US economy has escaped with merely a drive-by downturn. Common sense suggests they're wrong.
The collective wisdom of an online community and a stock-screening tool help identify companies that pay a juicy portion of their profits in the form of regular dividends.
The recent economic downturn means investors have an opportunity to buy some top-notch, long-closed funds with great managers. But you might want to hurry.
Microsoft abandons its Yahoo offer after boosting its offer to $33 a share. The software giant says Yahoo's demands for $37 and growing ties to Google make a deal unworkable. Yahoo insists $33 undervalues the company. Shareholders get to weigh in next.