Economy & Markets
The important economic and stock market news that advisors need to know.
Banks, Storage Companies Expand Gold Vaults
By Marlene Y. SatterDemand for gold has already resulted in the building of new vaults or expansion of old ones as investors in a flight to safety have accumulated stores of the precious metal.
February 17, 2012
The Stimulus Three Years On: Did It Help the Economy?Three years after President Barack Obama signed the stimulus bill, a jury of eminent economists is retrospectively voting its approval of the controversial stimulus measure. Still, a minority of the surveyed economists remain unimpressed with the spending bill.
February 17, 2012
John Bogle on Taxes: Praise for Obama; Raise Capital GainsOften at odds with the modern fund industry he helped create, Bogles comments ran counter to vehement opposition from investment managers and trade organizations over raising taxes on dividends and capital gains.
February 17, 2012
LPL’s Kleintop Sees Eurozone Surviving Without Greece: Weekend InterviewJeffrey Kleintop, chief market strategist for LPL financial, says he believes that a Greek default and departure from the eurozone will not take a terrible toll on markets, because many institutions have had ample time to divest themselves of some of their Greek debt.
February 17, 2012
Greek-German Relations Strained in Debt NegotiationsGermany's get-tough attitude toward Greece, echoed by Austria, Finland and the Netherlands, has angered Greek officials who say they have done everything they were asked to do in order to be granted a second bailout by the troika of the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.
February 17, 2012
German President Resigns Amid ScandalChristian Wulff, president of Germany, abruptly quit his post in the midst of an escalating financial scandal, complicating the job of Chancellor Angela Merkel in negotiations over the eurozone debt crisis. Wulff may face charges of corruption as investigators seek to eliminate the immunity conferred by his office to probe...
February 16, 2012
An Economics Writer’s Lament: CommentaryAn article in The New York Times this week was a perfect caricature of a worldview that looks to government as an almost magical provider of solutions and people as powerless victims of crass corporations.
February 16, 2012
European Concerns Dominate Senate Banking HearingThe Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Current Affairs heard testimony from three experts on the state of the financial situation in Europe on Thursday, and sought answers to additional questions as members explored how the U.S. might be exposed to the eurozone debt crisis.