The 10 Most Important Pieces of Investment News This Week

We care about your money - and want you to hold on to it and make more - so we rounded up the most important investment news from this week.

Take a look:

Your Top 10 Pieces of Investment News, July 28 - Aug. 1, 2014

1. This week, Europe and the United States slapped Russia with further sanctions. Russia banned soy exports from Ukraine, is considering a ban on U.S. poultry and European fruits, and may try to steal your lunch money. Check out Money Morning Special Contributor Michael E. Lewitt's latest to see how Russia's playground brawl will be affecting your wallet...

   On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Hamas and Israel had agreed to a three-day ceasefire, but it collapsed within three hours as rockets began firing from both sides. 

2. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met on Tuesday and Wednesday, sending ripples through U.S. markets and precious metals. Here's what the Fed had to say - and what it failed to say - about interest rates, inflation, and the latest tweak to its bond-buying program...
3. Twitter stock (NYSE: TWTR) popped more than 20% after the microblogging site announced Q2 earnings on Tuesday. It's the first time TWTR stock soared instead of crashed following earnings since it went public in November 2013 - and it's all because one number changed...
4. The Synchrony Financial IPO (NYSE: SYF) debuted Thursday. The credit card company spun off from General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) as part of GE's new strategy to focus on industrial businesses like jet-engine manufacturing. Here's how SYF stock did in its first day of trading...
5. On Monday, shares of Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) surged more than 24% on news that the company plans to sell its business to Dollar Tree Inc. (Nasdaq: DLTR) for $8.5 billion. Outspoken billionaire Carl Icahn slashed his stake in FDO after scoring a whopping $175 million in just a few weeks. Here's how mere dollars are turning into millions on the FDO-DLTR tie-up...
6. Shares of El Pollo LoCo Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) were up more than 65% in the first week of trading following its July 25 IPO. LOCO stock traded at $40.80 on Friday - a massive premium over its $15 initial offering price. For what investors can expect from LOCO stock after its IPO momentum dies down, go here...
7. Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) reported positive Q2 earnings, and said it will manufacture more than 60,000 cars in 2015. Tesla's construction of a futuristic "Gigafactory" - a large battery plant - will help it accomplish this goal, and this week, Panasonic Corporation (OTC: PCRFY) announced it's going to help...
8. Concerns about bond defaults and access to capital weighed on markets this week. In addition to Argentina's second bond default in 13 years, concerns in Europe reemerged after Portugal's largest bank, Banco Espirito Santo, saw its shares fall more than 40% due to investor fears that the firm will require government aid.
9. U.S. markets plummeted Thursday. The Dow Jones shed 317 points, while the S&P 500 fell below its 50-day moving average and erased all of July's gains (and its record highs). The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) jumped more than 26% to an intraday high of 16.98, the highest level since April.
10. This week, the IMF warned that rising inflation rates and sliding emerging market growth could slash up to 2% of global growth over the next five years. On Friday, the July jobs report was released - we broke down the 12 key highlights...