All Economy
Obama tells Congress, Europe to get in gearIn a news conference, President Obama capped a tough political week by blaming Congress (again) for failing to pass his jobs plan and urging Europe to address its financial crisis.
Personal finance: It's rarely black and white聽Every person out there has different income levels, different debt levels, different retirement accounts at work, different stress levels, different risk tolerances, and so on. All those issues matter.聽That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 personal finance.
Yes, dividends. Almost always.No one is saying dividends always work, but in a period like this why wouldn't you want to select for them in a passive portfolio? A good broker never forgets how powerful high dividend payers can be versus the rest of the market.
Spain's biggest hurdle to a bank recovery: public distrustKey to averting a banking collapse in Spain is persuading the public it's safe to keep money in the country 鈥� but government actions only exacerbated a loss in confidence.
Are we underestimating the US job market?Some argue that the most recent payroll survey, which shows a paltry gain in jobs, is underestimating the US job market.But the payroll survey is a more reliable marker of job growth than the household survey.
Should we delay the tax cut debate until 2013?Over the past week, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Glenn Hubbard have all made the same suggestion: Congress should extend all of the 2001/2003 tax cuts into early next year. It seems like an awful idea.- Are you teaching your kids the habits of financial success? Take our quiz.
Many guides offer tips on how to raise children, but there's little research on how to teach financial success. So I did my own research: a year developing a questionnaire; four years interviewing 233 wealthy people and 128 poor people; and another 18 months writing a book, "Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals." Financially successful parents pick and choose among these habits and they often emphasize the character these qualities build rather than the money they bring. While putting them into practice doesn't guarantee financial success, following a well-worn path increases your chances of getting to your destination. If you have a child 14 years or older, take our quiz to see if your success habits coincide with those taught by the well-to-do:
Father's Day gifts: seven great online dealsFather's Day gifts range from deals on auto parts to food seasonings for grilled food. Online deals offer up to 25 percent off聽Father's Day gifts, but they often come with a minimum purchase requirement. 聽
Prepaid iPhone from Virgin: $549, but only $30 a monthPrepaid iPhone appears to be Apple's next wave of expansion as Leap and now move into the no-contract prepaid iPhone market.聽
Wishful thinking: If we only had a stable energy policyIn this column energy expert Rapier provides three examples 鈥� originating with both Democrats and Republicans and impacting both renewable energy and fossil fuels 鈥� of how constantly shifting legislation makes it very difficult to plan and execute energy projects.
Clean and green: Replacing your old showerhead is a double winIf you have an older showerhead, replacing that showerhead will save you a lot of money even if you invest in a very expensive showerhead that provides a great shower experience.
Bernanke says Fed will do 'whatever necessary' if euro crisis spreadsChairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed is ready to make emergency loans to solvent banks to prevent financial panic. The Fed may also consider a new round of quantitative easing, he added.
Stocks lose steam after Bernanke speaksUp 140 points in the morning, Dow closes only 46 points higher. S&P and Nasdaq finish slightly lower. Stocks fell after Fed Chairman Bernanke remained coy on the possibility of more central bank stimulus for the economy.聽
Pie in the sky: Aluminum eyed as possible future fuel sourceMany options for future transportation have their disadvantages, but Alchemy Research believes there's one option that could solve several of our fuel problems. Interestingly, that fuel is already very well known--it's called aluminum.- Disappointing month for foreign investment in CubaForeign companies look to be pulling out of oil exploration in Cuba, and Havana Club rum is fighting to retain its name in US markets, writes a guest blogger.
Ben Bernanke to Congress: Get America's fiscal house in order. Please.Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers Thursday that the Fed alone can't put Americans back to work. 'I'd be much more comfortable if Congress would take some of this burden,' he said, bluntly.
Merkel says Europe ready to act as big downgrade hits SpainFitch slashes Spain's credit rating three notches to BBB. Germany and the rest of EU are ready to use instruments to support euro zone, Merkel says.聽
Intitial jobless claims drop, but continued claims rise'Initial' claims for unemployment benefits聽 declined to 377,000 claims from last week鈥檚聽 389,000 claims,聽 while 'continued' claims increased by 34,000, resulting in an 鈥渋nsured鈥� unemployment rate of 2.6 percent.
China's interest rate cut hints at sharper downturnChina's surprise cut suggests its economy or its inflation is slowing faster than expected. Rate cut includes a doubling of discount rate, encouraging banks to lend.
Mortgage rates reach record low. Have they hit bottom?Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed loans have dropped to a record low of 3.67 percent.
