US Markets

[$$] Hot Topic, DineEquity Rise; Movado Declines 5% - Fri, 03 Sep 2010
[at The Wall Street Journal] - Hot Topic, DineEquity Rise; Movado Declines 5% Small-capitalization stocks clawed back into positive ground for the year, boosted by retailers after encouraging same-store sales figures.

[$$] Assets Rose At Och-Ziff As Stocks Fell - Fri, 03 Sep 2010
[at The Wall Street Journal] - Och-Ziff Assets Grew in August Hedge-fund manager Och-Ziff Capital Management said assets under management rose marginally in August, even though key indexes experienced a month of steep losses.

Market Wrap: 9/2/2010 - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Forbes] - Stocks held onto yesterday s gains thanks again to better than expected economic data regarding home sales. This time pending home sales were up, over 5% from last month.

[$$] Home Depot, Disney Help Lift Blue Chips - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at The Wall Street Journal] - Home Depot, Disney Help Lift Blue Chips Stocks rose, with consumer companies including Home Depot, Walt Disney and Wal-Mart Stores leading the gains, following better-than-expected readings from the housing and retail sectors.

Web Extra Pops & Drops: Nordstrom, H&R Block... - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at CNBC] - Find out why shares of Nordstrom popped while H&R Block dropped and how to trade the moves.

Energy Stocks: Energy stocks move up; Mariner Energy dips - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at MarketWatch] - Energy stocks trade flat to higher after having scored big gains in Wednesday s session, while investors attention fixed on Petrobras as the Brazilian company firms up plans for a massive stock offering.

Retailers provide uplift amid positive economic figures - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Financial Times] - US stocks rose on Thursday after slightly better-than-expected data on initial jobless claims, pending home sales and retailers same-store sales boosted investor confidence.

Stocks move higher following jobs, housing reports - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[AP] - Stocks rose Thursday, extending their gains from the day before, after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs all indicated that the economy continues to grow.

US SMALL/MIDCAPS-Stocks gain on data; consumer sector leads - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - Mid- and small-cap stocks rose more than 1 percent on Thursday after housing and jobs data revived hopes hopes that the economy may not be in such a weak state.

Stocks drift higher ahead of jobs report - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at CNNMoney.com] - Wall Street holds modest gains as investors look to run out the clock ahead of Friday s U.S. employment report.

Investing Strategies

Cramer s Mad Money Recap: Cramer s Mad Money Recap: The Smart Investor - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at TheStreet.com] - Cramer says investors can do a better job of picking stocks than mutual and index funds.

Your First Move For Friday, Sept. 3 - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at CNBC] - Here s our Fast Money Final Trade, where the traders share their best plays going into Labor Day weekend.

Spotting Companies In Financial Distress - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Investopedia] - What are the warning signs that a company is struggling - or worse, sinking - financially? Read on to find out.

All Eyes On Unemployment Ahead of Holiday - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Indie Research] - Stocks followed up yesterday s rally with a solid day of gains.

Bridgeway Pays Shareholders to Invest, for Now - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Morningstar] - Plus, Loomis Sayles swipes Wellington managers, and Joel Greenblatt plans Magic Formula funds.

Heinz Beats Street With Overseas Exposure - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Investopedia] - The worlds love affair with American food is growing rapidly. Thats good news for Heinz.

Volume Hunter: Diet Stocks Lift Biotech - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Indie Research] - The biotech sector was mixed on Thursday, but isolated stories sent select players soaring on notable volume spikes.

5 Stock Sectors To Hold If The Market Crashes - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Investopedia] - Equities can seem scary when the economy is volatile, but these holdings can be profitable in the long run.

Yield Hunter: Dividends on the Rise - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Indie Research] - Verizon Communications announced that it will hike its quarterly dividend by 1.25 cents or 2.6% to 48.75 cents per share, payable on November 1 to shareholders as of October 8.

3 Offshore Oil Plays That Pay - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Investopedia] - These foreign-based oil companies offer great fundamentals and strong yields for value-conscious investors.

Economy and Government

US Treasury mulls over foreign investors in GM IPO-WSJ - Fri, 03 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - The U.S. Treasury is concerned about how many foreign investors it should allow to buy big stakes in General Motors Co s proposed initial public offering, the Wall Street Journal said.

White House: No second stimulus being considered - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - The White House stressed on Thursday that no second economic stimulus package is being considered as part of new measures under review by President Barack Obama s team.

Friday s Jobs Report Will Be Key for Markets-and Fed - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at CNBC] - Friday s jobs report is expected it to be pivotal not only for stock and bond investors but for the Federal Reserve, which is weighing whether to take further steps to boost the struggling US economy.

Summary Box: Fed chief says shut banks if threat - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[AP] - FED CHIEF SEES LESSON FROM CRISIS: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.

UPDATE - US Fed s balance sheet up slightly in latest week - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - The U.S. Federal Reserve s balance sheet rose slightly in the latest week, Fed data released on Thursday showed. The balance sheet -- a broad gauge of Fed lending to the financial system -- edged up to $2.285 trillion in the week ended Sept. 1 from $2.284 trillion the previous week.

Foreign central bank U.S. debt holdings rise - Fed - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - Foreign central banks were net buyers of U.S. debt in the latest week, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday. The Fed said its holdings of Treasury and agency debt kept for overseas central banks rose by $28.59 billion in the week ended Sept. 1, to stand at a total of $3.225 trillion.

Business events scheduled for the coming week - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[AP] - MONDAY, Sept. 6 Markets closed for Labor Day. TUESDAY, Sept. 7 WEDNESDAY, Sept. 8 WASHINGTON -- Labor Department releases job openings and labor turnover survey for July, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve releases Beige Book, 2 p.m.; Federal Reserve releases consumer credit data for July, 3 p.m.

Treasury to sell $67 bln in notes, bonds - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at MarketWatch] - The Treasury Department said it plans to sell $67 billion in notes and bonds next week, including $21 billion in benchmark 10-year Treasurys. The U.S. government said it will also auction $33 billion in 3-year notes and $13 billion in 30-year bonds.

US commercial paper market shrinks a 2nd week -Fed - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at Reuters] - The U.S. commercial paper market contracted sharply for a second straight week as the slowing economy cooled demand for business credit and companies continued to issue longer term debt, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.

Communities key in foreclosure fight: Fed officials - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[Reuters] - Two top U.S. Federal Reserve officials on Thursday called for a more community-focused approach to the country s ongoing foreclosure crisis, which is weighing on its economic recovery.

Banking

Don't tap retirement fund to pay off mortgage - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[at MarketWatch] - In this week's Realty Q&A, a retiree says his only debt is his $94,000 mortgage, and he wonders whether he should tap his 401 to pay off that bill. Lew Sichelman offers some advice.

No bank account? Get your tax refund on plastic - Thu, 02 Sep 2010
[AP] - A new Treasury Department program to give people without bank accounts faster access to their tax refunds will help some avoid costly short-term loans. But careless consumers could end up racking up fees and padding bank profits.

Markets start September with a bang; Dow up 255 - Wed, 01 Sep 2010
[AP] - The fear that has been hanging over markets for most of August lifted on Wednesday. For how long remains anyone's guess.

New credit-card tricks snare consumers - Wed, 01 Sep 2010
[at MarketWatch] - Just when you thought it was safe to trust your credit-card issuer again, along come new warnings about how they might be scamming you, reports Jennifer Waters.

NY appeals court halts Indian cigarette tax plan - Wed, 01 Sep 2010
[AP] - The latest in a tangled series of state and federal court decisions has halted New York state's plan to collect taxes on cigarettes sold by Native American retailers to non-Indian customers.

U.S. Financial Firms Making Money, But 'Bad Banks' Rising - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
[Investor's Business Daily] - Profits at financial institutions climbed the most in three years in the second quarter, but the list of bad banks also rose, suggesting the industry at the heart of the 2008 financial crisis remains in fragile health.

Consumers go from 'severely depressed' to just 'depressed' - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
[CNNMoney.com] - A key measure of consumer morale made a surprising turn higher in August, but Americans still feel jittery about the economy.

5 ways to rebuild credit after bankruptcy - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
[Bankrate.com] - It's possible to improve your credit even before the bankruptcy is off your record. Here's how.

Do you need a virtual wallet? - Tue, 31 Aug 2010
[Bankrate.com] - Before registering your financial data with a site like PayPal, consider these three factors.

Perfect weather sparks New England tourism rebound - Mon, 30 Aug 2010
[AP] - Months of perfect weather in northern New England have helped the region's tourism industry rebound from a dismal 2009, but consumers still wary of the economy have been tight with their money and shopping for bargain-basement prices.