As earnings season draws to a close, investors will soon be forced to face international affairs head on. For the time being, earnings reports from companies like McDonald’s and other blue chip firms have done well to keep our minds off of the looming debt crisis that has been ailing the euro zone for quite some time. But before these issues are pulled out of the doldrums, there are still a few big name firms that will be reporting earnings this week that will more than likely dominate the market [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing]. [click to continue…]
As earnings season comes to a close, investors have just a few more big name reports before another three month lull. So far, this most recent slew of earnings has been so-so, with a number of bellwether firms both meeting and missing their respective analyst targets. Many had hoped that a strong earnings season would help offset some of the volatility overseas but it seems that we will have to wait until next quarter for another chance at that goal. For now, we focus on the remaining firms that report at the tail end of this important stretch of the year [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing]. [click to continue…]
As earnings season comes to an end, investors will have one more week to focus on blue chip quarterly results to help guide their trades and positions. Last week saw earnings come in as a mixed bag, but that all changed on Friday when unemployment figures shattered the mold and dropped to 8.3% with 243,000 [...]
Today was one of the best trading days in recent memory. The Dow rose 1.2%, hitting its highest levels since 2008, while the Nasdaq surged 1.6% to its highest level in 11 years; the S&P 500′s return of 1.5% wasn’t too shabby either. The big day was spurned by a better than expected unemployment report [...]
Markets seem to be in a state of confusion, as positive news and data is offset by just as many negative factors. Some investors feel that 2012 will continue to see its nice rally, as this past month was the best January for equities since 1997. Others think that the fun is over as a [...]
Markets are off to a bland week as a mixture of overseas drama and lower than expected data on the home front have combined to put a halt to the nice rally that 2012 had brought. Amidst all of the drama, Wall Street has been circulating rumors of a Facebook IPO and it seems likely [...]
The rumors have been swirling for years: Facebook will IPO next month, next quarter, next year. But each time it seems that investors are disappointed with no such event. However, 2012 may finally see the long-awaited IPO from the social networking giant. Before you roll your eyes and click out of the page, consider some [...]
This week got off to a rocky start as Greece and Germany remained at odds regarding the fiscal future of the currency bloc. Many investors fear that without a significant aid package, Greece will endure a widespread default which has the potential to sink markets around the world. Despite the issues persisting overseas, the focus [...]
The past few weeks have seen a nice rally to start off the new year. With a number of encouraging earnings and data reports, stocks have been on a tear, with the S&P hitting 1,300 for the first time in several months. But last Friday’s GDP report, though representing strong growth, may have adverse effects [...]
Today saw markets finish off relatively flat as traders mulled over the news of the most recent GDP results. While last quarter saw one of the biggest economic expansions in over a year, it failed to meet expectations, creating an environment of mixed emotions on the Street. Today watched both the euro and gold make [...]
As we dive further into earnings season, investors will do their best to focus on relatively strong U.S. data, as opposed to decisions by the Fed, the Greek debt crisis, and other factors hindering the recovery. On Tuesday, investors saw Apple (AAPL) crush market estimates with their quarterly earnings. The shares soared the most in [...]
The ETF industry has long been known for the many advantages that it offers over competing mutual funds and other investment vehicles. One of the most significant upsides that exchange traded products have is their relatively low expenses; investors can gain exposure to asset classes of all kinds for a reasonable price. In fact, cheap [...]
