The S&P 500 benchmark has cleared the 1,400 level. March 16, 2012- Recently released economic data that was better than what was estimated, has helped the S&P 500 pass the 1,400 mark. The S&P topped 1,400 for the first time in nearly 48 months, as manufacturing data from the New York region increased unexpectedly and unemployment claims dropped. The S&P 500 settled at 1,399.96 after topping the 1,400 plateau earlier in the day. The Dow Jones Average increased to 13,219.99 after its... 

Most U.S. banks have passed the latest round of U.S. stress tests. March 14, 2012- The Federal Reserve was pleased to see that the majority of banks passed their latest stress tests. On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve announced that 15 of the 19 larger financial firms had sufficient capital to make it through a difficult recession. The results were announced 48 hours early and helped pave the way for banks buy back some shares and increase dividends. A senior financial analysts said, “When the Fed... 

Swiss voters voted down an extra two week holiday bonus. March 12, 2012- Voters in Switzerland rejected a proposal that would have increased the annual paid vacation entitlement for employees from four weeks to six. The proposal ran into problems last week when businesses warned voters prior to the vote that it would hurt competitiveness and could threaten jobs. Travail Suisse, a trade union in the country, put forward the initiative. It argued that just four weeks of vacation was not sufficient... 

The U.S. Dollar is surging to new highs based on the weak Euro. March 10, 2012- On Friday, the dollar jumped to a 10-month high on the jobs report released by the U.S. government. The jobs report was much better than most analysts had expected and helped the dollar jumped to its highest level against the yen in 10 months. The dollar also increased against the euro as Fitch downgraded the debt in Greece. Private investors agreed to the restructuring plan offered by the country nevertheless, Greece... 

McDonald’s sales are down due to weakness in Europe. March 9, 2012- On Thursday, McDonald’s reported its global sales for February. The figure did not meet Wall Street’s estimates. Analysts on Wall Street underestimated the effect the harsh winter in Europe and the region’s continual economic upheaval would have on the company’s sales. McDonald’s also said the uncertainty in the economy could impact growth in profit. The company’s stock sank by 3% following its announcement. The latest... 

Gas prices are soaring in the U.S. and may slow auto sales. March 2, 2012- The auto industry enjoyed much success last month. February sales surpassed the annual rate of 15.1 million pushing the industry to its highest level in nearly four years. Demand grew in almost all vehicle sectors. February was the best month the industry has seen since February of 2008. The rate in February 2008 was close to one million higher than last month’s rate. Even though cash prices increased during the month, consumers... 

The U.K. is in danger of losing it's credit rating. February 14, 2012- Moody’s, the credit rating agency, has warned the UK that it may cut its rating therefore increasing its cost of borrowing funds. Moody’s statement came following concerns of the possible impact the crisis in the eurozone will have on growth prospects in the UK. The agency placed a “negative outlook” on the UK meaning there is about a 30% change the country could lose it’s credit rating of AAA with the next 18 months.... 

Bank bankruptcies continue to plague the U.S. February 12, 2012- Two more banks failed on Friday bringing the 2012 total of bank failures to nine. Regulators closed two small banks in Indiana and Illinois. The number of banks that have been shuttered thus far in 2012 is less than the rate in 2011 when 92 were closed. In addition, last year through February, regulators had already closed 18 banks. The FDIC took control of Charter National Bank in Illinois. The bank had nearly $94 million in total... 

Electronics giant Phillips had a rough quarter with weakness in Europe. January 29, 2012- Philips, the Dutch electronics company, announced on Monday that it had posted a net loss for the fourth quarter of 2011. It blamed European market conditions and losses it has from discontinued operations. The company posted a loss of $214 million on revenue of $8.85 billion for the quarter. Those figures compared to a profit of $611 million from sales of $8.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Philips... 

Texas Instruments has exceeded analysts expectations this quarter. January 24, 2012- Signs appear to show the components market may be bottoming out. Texas Instruments released quarterly earnings on Monday that beat Wall Street analysts’ expectations. Its stock rose nearly 5% in extended trading. Net income dropped by 68% to nearly $298 million or $0.25 per share. The prior year’s fourth quarter net income was $942 million or $0.78 per share. Nevertheless, the drop was not as much as what Wall... 

Retailer Home Depot is stepping up their seasonal hiring this year. January 13, 2012- Home Depot, Inc. has announced its plans to hire its annual seasonal workers. The company has accelerated its plans by nearly a month to hire 70,000 workers for its U.S. stores. The hiring plans were announced in preparation of the stiff competition for selling flowers, grills, fertilizers and other seasonal items to consumers who are still reluctant to spend on large ticket items. The largest retailer for home... 

Aluminum maker Alcoa is slashing production globally. January 6, 2012- Alcoa Inc., the largest producer in the U.S. of aluminum, will cut its smelting capacity by 12% globally. Alcoa is the first aluminum producer to take such action to lower costs following a huge drop in the price of metal. The production cut will result in the company taking a restructuring charge during the fourth quarter. This will result in Alcoa’s first loss in the last nine quarters. The large cut in production should help... 

The S&P 500 stayed flat through out 2011. December 31, 2011- The stock market for 2011 has closed. Friday afternoon’s session brought to an end the nerve-racking year that eventually led to nowhere. After all of the difficulties during 2011, Standard & Poor’s 500 ended the year .04 of a point from where it started January 3 of this year. Much of what took place over the course of the year was influenced by the sluggish worldwide economy and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. Only nine... 

Retail giants Sears and Kmart are approaching bankruptcy. December 28, 2011- Both Kmart and Sears announced they would be closing nearly 120 stores following a fall in holiday sales. Analysts say the two chain stores might even disappear completely if they cannot turn around sales. Sears Holding Company holds control of both and announced its plans on Tuesday to shutter the 120 stores. The company, says many industry experts, has had four consecutive years of sales declines in its 2,200 U.S. stores.... 

U.S. mortgage prices are hitting record lows. December 16, 2011- This week the rates for mortgages dropped to record lows. The average 20-year fixed mortgage rate fell to just 3.94%. That matched the lowest all time rate from October of this year. The rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to a new low of 3.21% that passed a previous low set from October 6 of this year. Adjustable rate mortgages for five-year terms fell to new lows for the week at just 2.86%. According to analysts, the low mortgage... 

McDonald’s line of McCafe coffees is helping the company to record sales. December 7, 2011- McDonald’s took a huge gamble in investing in Europe at what many may have felt was the worst possible time to do so. However, thus far in 2011 over 40% of the company’s sales have come from the continent. That has helped it to become one of Wall Street’s best stocks for the year. The stock is up close to 25% on the year. IBM is the only stock in the 30 Dow Industrial stocks that has done better than...