More shoppers turned out for the Black Friday weekend this year, but they spent less per capita and favored lower-priced items, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation. The survey showed that about 195 million consumers shopped stores and Web sites, up about 13% from the 172 million who ventured out last year. […]
Archives for November 2009
November 2009 - Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From
Is Government Debt the Next Crisis to Strike?
While American investors were busy enjoying their Thanksgiving dinners, global markets were shaken by word that Dubai asked for a payment holiday on the $59 billion it owes via its investment vehicle, Dubai World. The move, which comes as oversized bets on Persian Gulf real estate sour, was considered a default by the major rating […]
Six Ways to Boost the Resale Value of Your Home - Even in a Down Market
It’s no secret that the old real estate adage tells us that only three things determine the value of your home – location, location, location. But the reality is that there's plenty you can do with most any piece of property to get a higher selling price in almost any market. Some of the steps […]
Unemployment Monkey Loosens Grip On Economy's Back
Is the dark cloud of joblessness finally starting to dissipate? Key indicators suggest it is, and while this will be a slow-moving dissipation, top economists as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve now say the picture for the coming months looks a little less bleak. Unemployment, considered to be one of the darkest spots of […]
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world. GM May Keep Saab After Deal Falls Apart; Third Quarter GDP Revised Down; Home Prices Rise for Fourth Straight Month; European Commission Drops Qualcomm Antitrust Inquiry; Fitch Downgrades Mexico; Bank […]
Hot Stocks: IBM Simplifying and Succeeding While Oracle is Struggling
While its chief competitor Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) is laboring to smooth out the wrinkles in its merger with Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: JAVA), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is streamlining its core business and fulfilling its mandate for innovation. IBM – which itself attempted to buy Sun but balked at the hefty price […]
Which of the "Rich Four" Countries Will Default First?
Volume in the credit default swap market for rich countries has soared and so have credit spreads, according to a recent Financial Times story, while volume in emerging markets CDS has stagnated. In other words, traders are betting against the governments with high budget deficits, like Britain and the United States, as well as against […]
As Bank Failures Grow, FDIC Options Narrow
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) will likely have tap its credit line with the U.S. Treasury or impose more special premiums on banks, to ensure U.S. banks are fully supported.
While FDIC-insured banks reported a net income of $2.8 billion in the third quarter, bank lending fell by 2.8%, the most since records were first kept in 1984 and the fifth consecutive quarter loan balances declined. The FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) went into the red at the end of September and the bank insurer today (Tuesday) revealed just how steep the loss it was when the quarter ended: $8.2 billion.
Can U.S. Bank Stocks Double Again in 2010?
[Editor's Note: This report on the U.S. banking sector is the latest installment of our "Outlook 2010" series, which chronicles the global-investing outlook for the New Year.]
In February 2009, I reviewed the operations of the 12 largest U.S. banks, and concluded most of them were sound.
In fact, I told Money Morning readers that the soundest were at that point excellent investment opportunities.
Investment News Briefs
Existing Home Sales Up 10% in Oct.; IMF: Dollar Not at Risk; Cadbury Stock Gains On Rumors of Competing Bid; Microsoft and News Corp. in Discussing Possible Pact; Tyson Earnings Beats Street; Campbell Soup Raises Forecast; Holiday Shoppers Preparing to Pare Spending; Twitter IPO a Possibility