Equity markets started off the new year in bright green territory as indexes across the board soared higher, bolstered by returning bulls from holiday break. The Nasdaq led the way higher, clinching gains of 1.67% on the day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged behind, gaining 1.47%. Basic materials stocks surged ahead alongside financials on Wall Street, while gains in the utilities sector were few and sparse as investors saw their appetite for risk increase [see 12 Rapid Fire ETF Ideas For 2012].
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Equity markets started off the final trading week of the year on a mixed note, with many taking profits and locking in gains, while some cheered on the positive economic data at home. The holiday weekend wasn’t enough to inspire a full-scale Santa Claus rally like many had hoped ; the Nasdaq led with way [...]
As a handful of brave souls find out every four years, running for President of the United States generally involves opening up your personal life to intense examination by opponents, the media, and general public. Generally, the scrutiny focuses on personal histories–arrests, affairs, and lawsuits make for juicy reading. But being a public servant can [...]
After starting the week in a hole, domestic equity indexes have been working hard to reclaim lost ground over the past two days. Euro zone woes continue to weigh down on the markets although recent lending measures by the ECB ought to help ease investor worries. Wall Street was fairly quiet as equities drifted sideways [...]
This past year has shaped out to be nothing short of a roller coaster ride for investors. Confidence in the global economic recovery was rattled after disaster struck in Japan; waves of uncertainty spread across financial markets as the economic superpower coped with one of the worst earthquakes in its history. On the home front, [...]
Euphoria was quick to evaporate from the markets last week as investors fretted over ongoing uncertainty in the Euro zone. Selling pressures prevailed across equity markets as lawmakers have yet to outline a comprehensive plan of action for restoring stability to the debt burdened currency bloc. Gold futures tanked as investors took profits in the [...]
Stocks started off the day strong as hopes that the Fed would bring good news had most major indexes up over 1% upon market open. But as Ben Bernanke and company usually do, they left the door open for further QE, sparking a massive sell-off that quickly threw equities back into negative territory. The Dow lost 66 [...]
Today saw markets teeter back and forth as they tried to forget the news that Standard and Poor’s put all 17 euro-zone nations on credit watch. Markets were able to come away with meager gains as the S&P jumped 0.11% and the Dow gained 52 points. Gold saw another down day as the precious metal [...]
With over 1,400 exchange-traded products on the market, investors have likely run into some seemingly “duplicate” offerings. While many of the “plain vanilla” products have quite a bit in common, there are more than a handful of funds which offer seemingly identical exposure, although a closer look under the hood reveals some noteworthy surprises [see [...]
Today saw markets finish out their best week in nearly three years, though the day remained relatively flat. Friday started off on a strong note as U.S. unemployment came in surprisingly low, but markets ended up falling as profit-taking ensued. But its hard to blame anyone for selling out after the massive week we have [...]
Major indexes are, as AC/DC once said, “back in black” for 2011, as Friday’s trading session brought a welcomed performance with strong gains. As Veteran’s Day came to a close, the Dow jumped 259 points while the S&P tacked on nearly 2% in trading. Despite the abysmal performance on Wednesday, both of the aforementioned indexes [...]
