Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average today (Monday, Dec. 7, 2015) were down nine points ahead of a busy week of economic data that includes an update on inflation, November retail sales, and consumer sentiment. These major economic data points will continue to provide insight into the FOMC meeting on Dec. 15 and 16.
Here's what else investors need to know about the Dow Jones Industrial Average today...
by Tara Clarke
Last week, our nation's biggest banks lost a portion of an outrageous handout they've been garnishing from American taxpayers for the last 102 years.
This free handout is a ploy seldom covered by mainstream media – which, as we all know, is now generally loath to upset the powers that be.
It happened Tuesday, when Congress released a highway bill that uses surplus funds from the U.S. Federal Reserve to help pay for the legislation's $325 billion price tag.
by Tom Gentile
It's a divisive, lightning-rod topic, but Obamacare is very much in play right now.
The Senate has just voted to repeal key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and UnitedHealth Group – the planet's biggest provider of healthcare plans – has been threatening to walk away from it all.
At the same time, it's open enrollment season – and it will be until Jan. 31, 2016.
Enrollments are surging now – 540,000 and counting – as people sign up to get access to healthcare… or to avoid the stiff tax penalty for not having coverage.
Just because central bankers want to lead investors over the cliff like they did in 2008 doesn't mean that people should follow them.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what investors did last week. In a year that has seen many foolish rallies, Friday's massive rally in stocks – coming just a day after a massive sell-off – was the most foolish of all.
Let's take these one at a time...
At this point of the credit cycle, a lot of securities look cheap.
Business Development Companies (BDCs) are looking exceptionally cheap right now – trading at 82.7% of their net asset value and kicking off very high income of 10% to 17% at the same time.
Due to their structure as closed-end funds that pay high dividends, BDCs are designed to appeal to retail investors.
The problem is that investors often forget that high dividends come with a price – and that price is usually that the loans made by these companies are illiquid and high risk.
And Congress just made the risk much worse...
Why did the Dow Jones Industrial Average gain 369 points today?
Here's how the stock market did today, earnings reports, the top stock market news, and stocks to watch based on today's market moves…
by Jack Delaney
The potential Uber IPO price just skyrocketed after the company opened up another round of financing.
Uber wants to raise $2.1 billion, which would place a $62.5 billion valuation on the transportation company.
Yesterday, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to repeal Obamacare.
The overall vote was 52 to 47. It was the 62nd vote to repeal all or part of the 2010 statute.
by Alex McGuire
OPEC Meeting 2015: Oil officials from all 12 OPEC countries met at the Vienna headquarters today.
As expected, the meeting concluded in bitterness among members.
But here's why the meeting's outcome won't have a long-term effect on oil prices in 2016...
by Diane Alter
The Sears Holdings stock price has come under pressure again amid a 20% revenue decline in the latest quarter.
Dwindling store traffic, heated competition, and heavy cash burn are among key concerns.
Here's why Sears Holding stock looks like a total avoid...
