Money: January 2008

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Stocks stage comeback

Wall Street rallied Thursday afternoon, with financial and homebuilder stocks leading the way, after bond insurer MBIA sought to reassure investors about its outlook, reassuring a skittish market at the end of a miserable month.

A new 'credit score' for patients?

Soon, hospitals might use tools to check your ability to pay as routinely as they check your pulse. Privacy advocates worry about abuse of data, but some consumers could even benefit.

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Stocks sell off, face a difficult open

A late-day rout in financial stocks guts a big rally after the Federal Reserve cuts two key rates. The problem is a downgrade of a big bond insurer. Amazon.com and Starbucks earnings disappoint, and shares move lower. Crude oil moves higher.

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Most middle-class still can't buy a house

Despite the housing slump, most middle income workers still don't earn enough to buy a median-priced home in their hometowns, according to the Center for Housing Policy.

Follow the new market leaders

Financials may be falling hard, but other segments of the market are healthy. Once the hysteria subsides, a new group of S&P 500 leaders will emerge, andI think theseeight stocks will be among them.

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Your 15-point tax-return checklist

Face it: The tax fairies aren't going to file your tax return for you. Here's a step-by-step guide to finding and filing those tax-return forms you've been avoiding.

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Treasurys rally on bond insurance woes

Read full story for latest details.

Stocks sag as economic worries persist

Fear remains a big problem for investors as the Dow finishes down 171 points. Financial stocks weaken, and a big gain for Microsoft evaporates. Next week, the markets face a Fed meeting, a flood of earnings reports andreports on the economy and job growth.

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Gold at $930 an ounce - shy of record

Gold prices continued to skyrocket Thursday, reaching another all-time high on the falling U.S. dollar, supply concerns and high world-wide demand.

Fear! Panic! Time to buy

It's official. This stock market is being ruled by an almost irrational sense of panic and fear.

How 6 top traders face a bitter bear

The latest round of MSN Money's stock-picking challenge opens with the market in turmoil. Watch as five top pros and one avid amateur try to find profit amid the pain.

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No predictions and no holding back

Who knows what the market is going to do, so I'm starting off fully invested with a wide range of ETFs and one CAPS favorite.

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Investors wait for the Fed

New data show a slowing economy, and investors wonder if the news will affect the Fed's decision on interest rates this afternoon. Yahoo reports a drop in profit and gives a weak forecast. UBS warns it will report losses because of the subprime-mortgage meltdown.

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How big could your tax rebate be?

The details might change before you see a government check, but here's how to figure out how much you're likely to get. Families could receive $600 for each parent, plus $300 per child.

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Is the Fair Tax really fair?

Some tax-system critics, including GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, want to get rid of income taxes and payroll taxes and replace them with a national sales tax. Here are the plan's pros and cons.

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Where's a safe harbor now?

With prices and fears on the rise, even investing in providers of staples like food, medicine and utilities hasn't been a good bet. Your next move depends on where you think the economy is going.

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Is there still reason to love Apple?

Apple was one of Strategy Lab Open players' favorite stocks in 2007. In 2008, that love is being tested.

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Dow up 96 as Wall St. sees a big rate cut

Investors expect the central bank to cut interest rates by a half-point Wednesday. Yahoo earnings disappoint; Lehman Bros. boosts its dividend. Wal-Mart has a 'stimulus program.' Durable-goods orders jump. Foreclosures jump 75%.

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Florida investigates Countrywide

Read full story for latest details.

5 top stocks for the next decade

Now's the time to take advantage of the market's churn to find long-term investing opportunities. These forward-looking picks will likely stand the test of time.

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Gilead and 9 other stocks to buy today

The pharmaceutical leader in the global battle against HIV appears on an MSN Money list of stocks poised to appreciate. Here are StockScouter's top picks.

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How to fix: Retirement

No Description

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Don't count on a 'normal' recession

Wall Street expects financial innovations and global growth to keep any US slowdown in 2008 short and shallow. But the stock market is likely to be seriously disappointed.

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8 ways to recession-proof your job

First, let's not panic. It's true that the U.S. economy generated just 18,000 new jobs in December, the smallest monthly increase in 4 years. But unemployment for the month was still just 5% - and that's just one percentage point above the 4% rate that economists consider "full employment" (meaning that everyone who wants a job has one).

A home buyer's market? Hardly

Buyers have a tougher time getting loans these days, but there are several ways to improve your chances.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Dow jumps 177 on rate-cut hopes

Investors see the Fed cutting key rates on Wednesday and push financial stocks higher. The Dow is now up 6.5% in less than a week. McDonald's slumps on concerns about flat U.S. sales. New-home sales tumble, but home-building stocks jump. Gold hits a new high.

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Where a recession is already hitting hard

Florida's big-time housing bust is a disaster for sellers, but it gives retirees and others a great buying opportunity.

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Microsoft earnings may boost stocks

The Dow finishes up 108 on gains in tech and energy stocks, and Microsoft's strong second-quarter results should give investors more confidence on Friday. The median price of a home fell in 2007 for the first since the 1930s.

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Robert Rubin: What meltdown?

A lending catastrophe has consumed homeowners, mortgage companies, and the financial system, but Robert Rubin, Citigroup's director and executive committee chair, doesn't seem particularly alarmed.

Truth or dare for your financial adviser

Conventional wisdom says you should pick a financial adviser you connect with, and one who has good references and no problems with regulators. Sure, that's a good way to start, but it won't tell you if he or she is likely to chase market trends or put a desire for fees ahead of your best interests. The questions below will give you insight into any planner's style and candor.

Can Google three-peat?

Over the years Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have become understandably judicious about their time. After all, multibillionaires are constantly in demand. Yet the engineering-grad-students- turned-media-moguls made time for FORTUNE when informed that Google had been chosen, for the second year running, as America's best company to work for.

IRS warns of rebate scams

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Insiders' 10 dumbest stock moves

Many investors track the trades of company execs and directors, figuring they know what's really going on. But in 2007, these bigwigs tossed millions into shares that later tanked.

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Cheap cars in Asia, expensive gas everywhere

The debut of the $2,500 car may be billed as a mobility breakthrough for billions of people in the developing world, but for U.S. motorists it could mean one thing: higher gas prices.

Prime time to refinance your mortgage

Rates on home loans are falling and may move lower asthe Fedslashes short-term borrowing costs.

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Try your luck with these 13 stocks

I'm tapping IQ Trends' Lucky 13 and our other aggressive portfolios for this diverse list of names with a few things in common, including relatively low prices and a track record of raising dividends.

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FDA denies wrinkle treatment application

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How to help buyers afford your home

Falling prices and interest rates ought to make your house easier to sell -- if only buyers could get financing. Here are three ways to make the process easier for would-be homeowners.

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10 stocks to buy after the bloodbath

The small fake-out rallies are a perfect time to sell good stocks. You can use the cash to buy better stocks when the market tanks again (and it will). Here's a shopping list.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Feds crack down on tax protesters

Not filing tax returns is no laughing matter. Those who claim they don't have to pay taxes -- or that Uncle Sam has no right to collect them -- now face greater penalties.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Why China is rooting for a US slowdown

In search of a soft landing, Beijing raised interest rates six times last year and let the yuan climb 13% against the dollar. Butanother year ofoverheatedeconomicgrowth islikely in 2008.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Time is right to make some buys

Recent market dropscombined with some help from Washington are creating perfect opportunities for bargains. I've found three stocks that are set to turn around.

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5 tips for haggling over medical bills

Insurance companies aren't the only ones who can negotiate a lower price -- you can, too. Here's how.

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New $20B subprime bailout on the table

A proposal to bail out subprime mortgage borrowers who are at risk of foreclosure was floated at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday.

Offended by virtual sex? Get $35

'Grand Theft Auto' allows players to commit random acts of violence against police and pedestrians, but, apparently, a little sex crosses the line. Find out how you could get some cash from the uproar.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

The 50 best values in public colleges

Kiplinger ranks schools that offer academic excellence at an affordable price. Two keys to making the grade: High standards and generous aid.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Broke homeowners linked to arsons

Authorities in economically stressed cities see an increase in torched houses. Is the nation's mortgage mess transformingmore Americans into criminals?

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

8 'doomed' stocks to bet against

A rough market seems like the right time to hunt for stocks to short -- or at least to run from. My screen turned up some big names with big trouble.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Don't try to outsmart the market

You can't time the market's gyrations, so I'll stick to my system and put my money to work right away. I'm buying 20 stocks based on computer 'clones' of some of the best investors ever.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Fed won't let this market tank

The Fed is determined to push more money into the economy and keep stock prices up, and never mind inflation or bubbles. Like it or not, we should invest accordingly.

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[Source: MSN Money Latest Articles]

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

FBI probes 14 firms for possible subprime fraud

Read full story for latest details.

Home price drop is biggest ever

The housing market is only getting worse, according to the latest report from S&P Case/Shiller released Tuesday.

Oil wavers even as supplies rise

Oil prices seesawed Wednesday as traders tried to balance rising inventories with an expected rate cut from the Federal Reserve.

Bonds slip after Fed cuts rates

Treasury prices edged lower Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve announced its decision to lower interest rates in response to growing fears of a U.S. recession.

Consumer confidence falls in January

Consumer confidence slipped in January, after rebounding slightly in December, amid mounting concerns about jobs and slowing business activity.

Countrywide: From bad to worse

Countrywide on Tuesday reported a loss of $422 million in the fourth quarter and revealed that an astounding one-third of its investment portfolio's sub-prime mortgage loans are delinquent.

Senate taxwriters to tussle over economy plan

Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday will start debating legislation intended to curb further downturns in the economy.

Fed delivers another rate cut

The Federal Reserve cut a key short-term interest rate by a half-percentage point Wednesday, its second significant cut in just over a week, as the central bank tries to combat the growing risk of a U.S. recession.

Boomers: How to age gracefully

Everybody knows about the sandwich generation. That's us. We have kids in college and aging parents who may need financial help. We - the boomers - are smashed in between, trying to pay for it all and save a little something for our retirement too. No surprise - it isn't going so well. Only about 40% of boomers have managed to save $100,000 or more, and hardly anyone is maxing out a 401(k) plan.

V8's luxury rumble grows fainter

When Ford's new flagship Lincoln sedan, the MKS, goes on sale later this year it will be available with all-wheel-drive, a six-speed transmission and plenty of rear-seat legroom. But one feature usually found on full-size luxury cars will not be available on the MKS at any price: a V8 engine.

A touchdown for TV sellers

Despite all the noise about a belt-tightening underway, one industry survey estimates that consumers will buy 3.9 million new televisions in time for Super Bowl Sunday.

Dollar's slide: It's the economy, stupid

The Federal Reserve has long been the whipping boy for dollar protectionists, who have blamed the central bank's rate-cutting campaign for sinking the greenback.

Economy much weaker than expected

Economic growth nearly ground to a halt in the last three months of 2007, according to a government report released Wednesday that showed the sharpest decline in growth since 2003.

How to get hired by a 'Best' company

Think you'd like to work for one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For? Good luck. A few require applicants to jump through peculiar hoops, like the notorious test at Microsoft that poses questions like, "How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?" and "How would you move Mount Fuji?"

The Fed's stagflation fear

Uh-oh. The Federal Reserve's decision at 2:15 p.m. just got a little tougher.

Read the Fed statement

The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 50 basis points to 3 percent.

Stock gains accelerate

Stock gains accelerated Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve cut a key short-term interest rate by a half-percentage point, as expected, and indicated in its statement that it would continue to lower rates, as needed.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Tiger's Julian Robertson roars again

One early Wednesday morning last July, when the subprime mortgage meltdown first began to rock the markets, I found myself sitting with investing legend Julian Robertson in the cabin of his Gulfstream V jet in Auckland, New Zealand. We were en route to one of the two world-class golf courses he has built in the island nation. But his mind was on the markets halfway around the world. As the flight crew prepared for takeoff and his wife Josie and their other guests found their seats, the 75-year-old billionaire used his mobile phone to check in with his office back in New York. "How are the subprime positions looking?" he asked excitedly. "Mm-hmm. Wonderful."

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Monday, January 28, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

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