by Diane Alter
Today's job report showed unemployment fell to 5.5% – but it doesn't seem like things are getting better when you look at the constant stream of planned U.S. layoffs and job cuts being announced.
Just two months into 2015, employers have announced a whopping 103,620 planned layoffs. That's up 19% from the 86,942 layoffs recorded during the same period in 2014.
Here's a look at some of the biggest job cuts announced so far this year...
by David Zeiler
Hundreds of Silicon Valley companies have hit venture capitalists' radar because of their ambitious goal: Invent ways to disrupt the banking industry as we know it.
It's about time.
Banking is one of few industries to have escaped disruption from the digital revolution.
Most of its infrastructure is decades out of date. People still use paper checks, debit cards required PINs, and money transfers take days to go through. Venture capital is pouring in because Financial tech ("fintech") companies are solving these issues.
Here are the top prospects in the fintech sector right now...
Risk management may not be the most exciting part of investing. But it's the most important.
And a risk-management tool called "position sizing" stands out above all others as the most powerful, and not just for cutting risk, but for boosting profits, too.
The concept is simple. It's about controlling the amount of money you place in each trade.
Here are three different methods for sizing your positions...
As my Total Wealth readers know, when I started that newsletter I highlighted six "Unstoppable Trends" – each of which is backed by trillions of dollars – and promised that we'd check in on them from time to time in the pursuit of profits.
Today, I want to keep that promise.
Not only are all the "Unstoppable Trends" fully intact, many are getting even stronger. So are the companies we're tapped into, especially when they're in sectors being written off by the mainstream investment community…
The DJIA Index gained 38 points today. The reason? The European Central Bank announced plans to begin its massive stimulus program next week, while a large M&A deal rocked the healthcare sector.
Investors remain cautious about the markets ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs report. Gold prices slipped below $1,200 on the day.
Here are the day's top market stories, plus our new profit tip for investors...
by Diane Alter
For solid returns with minimal effort and low cost, buy an S&P 500 ETF.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett agrees. On Monday he advised LeBron James to keep it simple and invest in low-cost index funds.
It's not the first time Buffett has recommended this type of investment. "A low-cost index fund is the most sensible equity investment for the great majority of investors," according to Buffett.
Here's the best S&P 500 ETF to buy to profit from the S&P's future gains...
Wall Street just doesn't understand the incredible opportunity that the Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) stock price represents.
This is a great long-term tech play that can really boost your portfolio. And Facebook stock could double to $161.36 a share in the next three years.
Here's exactly what's behind this social media juggernaut and why its stock will double by 2018...
by Jim Bach
The European Central Bank meeting today (Thursday) stuck to the Eurozone's easy money script.
European Central Bank president Mario Draghi's commitment to super accommodative monetary policy in a sluggish Eurozone is certainly not the medicine Europe needs right now.
But it is has made some already enticing investment opportunities all the more attractive...
Two of the world's top pharmaceutical companies have announced a merger today (Thursday), and that's another major buy signal for one of our favorite profit opportunities.
AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) officials announced they will purchase Pharmacyclics Inc. (Nasdaq: PCYC) for roughly $21 billion.
The deal gives Abbvie access to one of the world's top-selling cancer drugs, Imbruvica. Revenue from Imbruvica alone is expected to hit $1 billion in 2015 and $5.8 billion by 2020.
The Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) stock price hit its lowest level since its IPO this week when shares fell to $80.03 Tuesday afternoon.
That's 14.8% from Alibaba's first-day closing price of $93.89. It's 33.3% from BABA's high of $120 hit on Nov. 10.
