Economy & Markets
The important economic and stock market news that advisors need to know.
Week in Pictures | January, 13 2012
By Michael K. StanleyMitt Romney expectedly wins the New Hampshire primary, an anticipated rise in unemployment claims after the holiday season begins to show and an Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated raising tensions at an already shaky time. This and more in this week's Week in Pictures.
January 12, 2012
SIFMA Says Volcker Rule Threatens to Freeze Corporate Bond MarketSIFMA says that an overly restrictive implementation of the Volcker rule could severely reduce liquidity in the $1 trillion U.S. corporate bond market.
January 12, 2012
U.S. Consumer—the Economy’s Engine—Chugs Along at Snail’s PaceThe U.S. Commerce Department reported flat retail sales in December, but the lackluster news may mask more positive news on the critical consumer front of the economy.
January 12, 2012
Highest Volatility in 50 years Spooks Hedge Fund ManagersPlain-vanilla bonds and widow-and-orphan utilities creamed hedge funds in 2011, offering fresh evidence that ordinary investors need not feel underprivileged for lack of access to more exclusive investment opportunities.
January 11, 2012
Bill Gross Touts PIMCO Total Return ETF at Virtual SummitPIMCO CIO Bill Gross promoted the upcoming launch of an ETF-version of his PIMCO Total Return Fund at the ETF Virtual Summit, a four-hour online event held on Tuesday that was attended by nearly 1,000 advisors.
January 11, 2012
Emerging Markets Middle Class Is on the Rise, Ready to SpendThe worldwide economic picture may be full of uncertainties but one thing seems likely: the demand for goods and services in the developing world will grow at an unprecedented rate.
January 10, 2012
Banks Turn Borrowers, Seek Cash from CustomersEuropean banks have found a new way to bring in cash. They borrow itbut instead of turning to each other to bring in funds, they are borrowing it from companies that were once happy to deposit their excess cash in exchange for interest.
January 09, 2012
Economist Kotlikoff Declares Third-Party Candidacy for PresidentPresidential candidates often struggle to explain their economic policies in the detail sought by media questioners. But that wont be a problem for economist Laurence Kotlikoff, running as a candidate of an Internet-based third-party platform that promises to place its top vote getter on the ballot in each of the...