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Oil prices increase, but stay near 8-month lowsOil prices made small gains above $78 a barrel Friday but remained near eight-month lows after signs of slowing global economic growth triggered a sharp plunge this week. Most indicators hint at a continuing slide for oil prices.
Moody's ratings cut for giant banks: a new weight on US economyMoody's downgrade of the US banking system, following turmoil in Europe's banking sector, is a blow to reputation of banks but is not expected to tip the economy into recession.
Taking a new look at an old consumption taxThe idea of the X Tax鈥揳 progressive consumption tax designed 25 years ago鈥揼enerated lots of discussion among tax experts. Whatever you want to label it, there are so few new聽ideas in tax policy, it never hurts to聽revisit an old one.
Accidental entrepreneurs a side effect of a weak economyThe number of accidental entrepreneurs, who started businesses after finding themselves unemployed and unable to find work, has doubled over the rate found before the recession began (from 9 percent to 18 percent). And a good chunk of those are struggling to make end's meet.
$1.3 million utility bill? Monthly payment stuns Texas woman.$1.3聽 million utility bill sent to a woman in Abilene, Texas was so huge she thought it was a joke. She is still waiting for聽 a replacement for her $1.3 million utility bill.
Bad reports give Dow its second-worst day of yearThe Dow started sinking after the Fed's Philadelphia branch reported a manufacturing slowdown resulting from a steep drop in companies' orders. It only got worse, as the index ultimately lost 250 points to close at 12,573, a 2 percent drop.
Hobby bleeding you dry? Might be time to put away the Magic cardsHobbies that requires constant spending, may keep you from improving your finances. Instead, look for a way to cap the hobby or, better yet, find a new, cheaper hobby or activity with which to replace it.
Ultimate driving machine: BMW M5 won鈥檛 offer manual transmission?Performance cars like the BMW luxury-performance sedan M5's make numerous concessions in the interests of comfort and civility, that cost speed and handling. But the next M5 may make a big concession, and not offer a manual transmission option.
Why did home sales cool during key spring season?Sales of previously owned homes fell by 1.5 percent from April to May, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. But when viewed in the longer term, sales activity has been rising.
Bullheadedness on The Street: These guys just don't quitIt is not a sin to be wrong, the Reformed Broker tells us, we are all wrong from time to time. However, it is a sin to willfully ignore evidence and facts or to hunt down obscure data points in order to support an existing thesis.
Adjusted initial jobless claims decline, continued claims flatThe latest jobless claims numbers show a decline to initial unemployment claims and a flattening to continued unemployment claims while seasonally adjusted initial claims remained below the closely watched 400K level.
Are ready for this? Time for round two of the Fed's stimulus planMarkets soar when the Fed hints at more money, and crash when it hints that it will sit still. When you operate with an elastic currency, and expand credit 50 times in 50 years, Bill Bonner warns, don't be surprised when the market inevitably falls over.
Cars Land: New park hopes to boost Walt Disney Co.'s fortunesCars Land, the newest addition to Disneyland's California Adventure Park, opened last week. Disney hopes Cars Land, inspired by the popular 'Cars' film franchise, will draw customers to the under-performing theme park.
How should we measure economic recoveries?Iceland's recent recovery is weak, but many economists are touting it as a model of success. Does this call for more objective standards for what we can and can't hail as a 'recovery?'
Good Humor shortage: Heat wave exhausts ice cream supplyGood Humor shortage has hit the Northeast 鈥� a result of a sweltering heat wave combined with the closing of one of the ice cream maker's manufacturing plants. The Good Humor shortage mainly affect's the brand's popular toasted almond bar.
800 number on Blink plug-in stations? Useless, don't botherEcotality's Blink network seems a little worse for wear. Despite a fat government contract, some of the company's electric plug-in charging stations have been found out of order, and their 1-800 number operators are little help.
Fed's latest action doesn't impress investorsThe Federal Reserve's latest plan to help the economy failed to impress Wall Street on Wednesday, as stocks finished slightly lower for the day, and not much better than they were before the Fed announcement. The Dow closed down 12 points to end at 12,824.
Fed moves to juice US economy, but Wall Street wanted a joltThe US central bank said Wednesday it will act to keep long-term borrowing costs low, to help stimulate the economy amid a weakening forecast. The Fed shaved 0.5 percent off its outlook for GDP growth this year.
The giving tree: Shade trees save money, raise resale valuesShade trees act as giant sun blockers, shaving money off your energy bill. But they also can increase your property value, significantly raising the curb appeal of your home and pumping up its resale price.
