Last week’s breakout was confirmed. After a pause earlier in the week, the stock markets reached the highest levels of the year and then pulled back a bit. The combination of continued positive earning’s reports and a chance statement by President Obama conspired to move the markets higher for a third consecutive weekly gain. As [...]

That’s right; the big banks have found yet another way to pick your pocket. Over the last month the big credit card companies have been quietly raising interest rates and fees before new rules go into effect under the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (the Credit Card Act).

After two months of range-bound trading, investors punched through resistance and bid the markets to new yearly highs this week. The Dow, NASDAQ and the S&P all look like they want to go higher but may need a bit of a pause here to catch its breath.

Midway through second quarter earnings season, many companies have surprised to the upside and their managements have changed their view of the future. On Wall Street we call it “guidance” and most of it sees a bottom or early signs of recovery in their businesses.

President Obama is on track to fulfill one of his main campaign promises: guaranteed healthcare for the majority of Americans. How and who will pay for it is still up in the air but this week it appeared that most of the burden will land on the shoulders of America’s rich as well as the [...]

Pick your poison—oil, unemployment, earnings, –the markets suffered through a week of anxiety as investors fretted that we just might revisit the bad old days of 2008. Although I don’t think that is in the cards, I wouldn’t rule out further downside.

With the unemployment rate at 9.5% and an economy that continues to give mixed signals about a recovery, both economists and politicians are talking about the need for a second stimulus plan. I suggest it may be a good idea to first examine why the existing stimulus plan may not be working as well as [...]

Mixed economic signals once again kept the markets in check during this holiday shortened week. The averages moved up and down in slow motion with most of the gains and losses posted in the first half hour of trading each day on low volume and with even less conviction. Second quarter earnings begin next week [...]

As a fairly recent owner of a dog, my wife and I have suddenly taken an interest in how much this pooch is costing us. Sure we love him to death but pets can be expensive and all indications are that those costs are just going to go higher in the future. So if you’re [...]