U.S. stock futures are up a little more than 40 points this morning.
Markets will be moving on crucial GDP revisions today (Tuesday), as well as the release of new housing data.
Also making headlines is the potential for a mysterious Twitter Inc. (Nasdaq: TWTR) merger, and new developments from The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) cybersecurity breach.
Here's what else will be moving markets this Tuesday...
U.S. stocks are hitting record highs on an almost-daily basis as we close in on the end of the year.
But the whipsawing we've had to endure to reach this point is enough to give you saddle sores.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index has gained a healthy 11.6% in 2014 through the closing bell on Friday. From Sept. 18 to Oct. 15, however, the bellwether index fell 7.4%. The downturn ended quickly, and stocks reversed course. In the month that followed, through Nov. 14, the S&P 500 surged 9.5%.
On three other occasions this year, the S&P endured sell-offs of 4% or more.
It's been downright dizzying. But for us, a ruckus of a market like this can be a fantastic opportunity.
Today, I want to show you my secret "risk-busting" strategy that's perfect for rough rides such as this. It's just the tool that you can use to turn a volatile market to your advantage.
Keep reading, and I'll show you how to harness this strategy out on the range...
by David Zeiler
The latest 13F filings, which tell us what hedge fund managers were doing in the previous quarter, reveal several Money Morning picks among the most popular stocks.
In some cases, Money Morning made these picks stocks to watch well before the fund managers jumped in. But once you own a stock, it's always great to see the big money pile in behind you to help feed your gains.
The Dow Jones today added 7.8 points on news that stimulus is not far off for the word's central bankers.
The Dow hit a record high on the day. The VIX, the market's volatility gauge, slipped 2% on the day.
Here's a look at the top stories from the stock market today...
by Jim Bach
Defense stocks are a great portfolio builder.
They are a "need-to-have" investment backed by companies with solid balance sheets and provide important security needs in an uncertain geopolitical environment.
And while some names may come to mind in the defense sector, here's one you may not have heard of...
Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock was up 1.1% in early trading today (Monday), after CEO Elon Musk said the company is discussing a partnership with the German automaker BMW.
"We are talking about whether we can collaborate in battery technology or charging stations," Musk told the German newspaper.
by Diane Alter
Stocks that pay dividends continue to dish out payout hikes and special enrichments to reward investors. In fact, dividend increases are forecast to be in the double digits this year.
That would make 2014 the third year in a row dividends have risen by 10% or more.
Good morning! Futures indicate an increase in the stock market today from Friday's close. The Dow and the S&P 500 closed at record highs again on Friday, extending a five-week rally for the two indices.
What to watch today: expect significant attention to how Wall Street handles conflicting reports on confidence in the global economy. Although optimism turned positive in Germany, a new survey by Markit shows that global business confidence has slipped to a five-year low.
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Earlier this year we discussed how Canada was aiming to host the first Chinese currency hub in the Americas.
Well now it's official, with Canada's financial capital, Toronto, the chosen winner.
With so much international business still transacted in U.S. dollars, China's central bank, like most others, holds dollars in reserve, or buys them as needed.
Doing business this way is cumbersome and expensive since currencies first need to be converted into dollars for the buyer's payment, and then back out of dollars if the seller wants to return it to his home currency.
Increasingly, countries are seeking alternatives when trading with the world's number two economy… and China's only too happy to help.
The only questions left to ponder after this and other related developments, are who will benefit, and who will lose…
Stocks traded to new record highs last week on the back of new central bank initiatives to prop up struggling economies around the world. The People's Bank of China announced an unexpected cut in its benchmark lending and deposit rates for the first time since 2012. Hours later, ECB President Mario Draghi made another promise that his central bank would take new steps to bolster European growth and the ECB announced that it had begun buying back asset-backed securities.
Coming two weeks after the Bank of Japan and Japan's large public pension fund announced manic interventions into financial markets to support that country's failing economy, investors have dismissed any concerns that the end of QE in the U.S. will deny them the liquidity they have feasted on for the last few years. Since the October flash sell-off, markets have gone parabolic and totally disconnected from the struggling economies that are supposed to support them.
The world has things backwards and when it straightens itself out, there will be blood...
