The New York Stock Exchange's meltdown on Wednesday shows how fragile our financial infrastructure is. But it also shows how canny investors can position themselves to profit from that fragility.
The NYSE, a unit of the Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), shut down at 11:32 AM ET, and was offline until after 3:00 PM ET.
Frankly, it was scary to see the NYSE - the ideal of exchanges for a decade - melt down.
The New York Stock Exchange's meltdown on Wednesday shows how fragile our financial infrastructure is. But it also shows how canny investors can position themselves to profit from that fragility.
The NYSE, a unit of the Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), shut down at 11:32 AM ET, and was offline until after 3:00 PM ET.
Frankly, it was scary to see the NYSE - the ideal of exchanges for a decade - melt down.
Eurozone Financial News: The euro is falling - so much so that it's trading at lows not seen since 2006.
It did gain somewhat as the day wore on. But in the morning, the euro hit a low of $1.1885.
Here's what has been moving the euro today...
Editor's Note: Bill Patalon's readers enjoy regular access to his high-profit research and best money-making, market-beating ideas. Today Bill looks behind a global crisis that's playing loudly out on the front pages everywhere, yet the most important factor is almost entirely being missed. Since Bill's been watching this trend for years, he sees, and shares, for us his one-of-a-kind insights...
If you've been watching the developments between Russia and Ukraine in recent days, then I'm sure you've seen reports of the sobering military buildups taking place on both sides of the border.
Today I want to spend a little time updating you on these escalations.
But then I plan to tell you about the real skirmish there - one that's not being reported on by the mainstream media. In fact, it may have already ended the battle in Moscow's favor.
Kiev just doesn't realize it yet.
The deciding factor in this skirmish is something we've been telling you about for more than two years.
And it just keeps gaining in importance - so much so, in fact, that we Main Street Americans need to watch it carefully just to protect ourselves.
This "X-Factor" goes by a lot of names.
But today we're going to refer to it as the "Invisible Front" of modern warfare.
Tech stocks have been hit hard in the last week, and the Nasdaq Composite is down nearly 4% in the month of April. The index took another dive today, down 2.7% by 1 p.m.
Big names in the tech sector have been hit particularly hard. Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) is down 4% this month, Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has dropped 5% in April, and Tesla Motors Co. (Nasdaq: TSLA) has dipped almost 6% this week.
Investors who believe in the "Super Bowl Indicator" will be rooting for quarterback Russell Wilson, head coach Pete Carroll, and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLVIII this Sunday. And not only in hopes of seeing another enthusiastic post-game interview from cornerback Richard Sherman (although that would be a perk).
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Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) announced Tuesday that it would be purchasing Nest Labs for $3.2 billion. Nest is known for developing Internet-connected, or "smart," thermostats and smoke detectors.
GOOG stock currently trades just north of $1,140, and has posted a gain of more than 30% in the past three months. Will adding everyday products like Nest's thermostats to its portfolio make a difference for investors?
To watch the video, click here...
It's official. A judge has ruled that Detroit is indeed insolvent, which not only has grave implications for that city's bondholders, but for municipal bondholders everywhere. Even that, however, only hints at what's to come. The ripple effects of allowing Detroit to file for bankruptcy
will soon affect every American...
Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) and Toys "R" Us Inc. are the two latest retailers to announce that they will open their doors on Thanksgiving. Other retailers like Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) have expanded their "Black Friday" hours this year.
But does this tactic smack of desperation?
Here are this week's need-to-know facts about the stock market, economy, Wall Street, and life-changing global events...
It's the numbers that count in this crazy world. They can tell stories that words sometimes can't.
Here's a look at some of the fascinating, infuriating, amusing, depressing, and altogether important numbers that the world has put up on the board recently - and why you need to know them.
To continue reading, please click here...
As U.S. military personnel prepare for possible action against Syria, Brent oil prices are hovering near an 18-month high.
On Thursday, Brent oil prices retreated slightly, but remained elevated, after starting the day above $116 a barrel. Prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also retreated by a little more than 1%, closing the day at $108.80.
Brent prices have climbed steadily following escalations across Egypt and the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi.
Meanwhile, in the United States, improved infrastructure and greater network access have fueled WTI prices to near par with Brent this month.
But Brent prices have spiked this week following news that the West may intervene in Syria, where a chemical attack was allegedly launched against civilians.
Despite warnings from Russia and China, it remains unclear whether the United States will intervene. However, any action is likely to set off a chain reaction across the Middle East and could affect trade within the region, especially on oil shipments.
Here are the details on how Syria affects oil prices, what that means for you - and how to profit.
To continue reading, please click here...
Legendary commodity investor Jim Rogers sees some serious problems stemming from the situation in Syria and the end of the Fed's generous flow of money.
In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Rogers said "oil and gold will go much, much higher" due to a "market panic."
"I own oil, I own gold, I own things like that and if there is going to be a war, and it sounds like America is desperate to have a war, they're going to go much, much higher," Rogers said. "Stocks are going to go down, some of the markets that I'm sure are already going down, commodities are going to go up. I'm not particularly keen on war, I assure you, but it sounds like they want it."
Rogers continued, "No matter how well the plans are made, strange things happen in war and who knows what unintended consequence will come."
Equities have been hit hard over worries of a war with Syria. The rout started late Monday following comments from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the United States has a moral obligation to act on Syria's chemical weapon attacks. Selling picked up steam Tuesday with the Dow plunging 170 points.
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China's fat finger trade this week seemed like a simple explanation for a huge market jump - but the truth about this is far more troubling... Read more...
