Even before the recent drama on Wall Street dampened consumer sentiment, the National Retail Federation said it expected back to school spending to be flat this year, with families limiting their purchases of clothing, gadgets, …
Is Market Volatility Here to Stay?
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the global economy, and the markets have been torn asunder. On Monday, the VIX – a measure of the implied volatility in the stock market – shot up to its highest level since the depths of the 2008-09 financial crisis, up 50% to 48. Tuesday it dropped 27%, the biggest one-day drop in history. …
Insider Trading: Look Who’s Buying on Wall Street
Individual investors have learned this week that trying to predict the direction of the stock market is a fool's game. But there is one group of major league investors who may actually deserve our attention: CEOs and other …
Is the Economy Worse off than in 2008?
If you have been following the headlines now and were three years ago during the financial crisis, it’s hard not to make the comparison. The stock market is swinging wildly. Financial CEOs are taking to the airways to publicly attest that their banks have enough capital. And investors are increasingly worried about a debt crisis. Here …
After Testing It For A Month, I’m Sold on Spotify
“You’ve got to see this,” a friend said to me in June. “It’s a new music service that lets you listen to anything you want from anywhere. And it’s cloud-based, so the music doesn’t take up any space on your hard drive.” He played …
At the Root of Every Problem Today Is … Fashion?
The list of ills being blamed on the fashion industry includes sweatshops, child labor, the worldwide culture of greed, rampant consumerism, warped self-images, eating disorders, pollution, water shortages, “spiritual and psychic …
5 Ways to Keep Economic Crisis from Driving You Crazy
Everywhere I turn, I see tales of financial doom and gloom. The stock market is crashing! The dollar is inflating! Oil is peaking and homes are foreclosing! If you listen to the breathless media, it’s 2008 all over again.
“At this point, consumers can’t be expected to lead the economic recovery.”
Did Capital One Just Buy Your Credit Card?
Capital One’s been on quite the buying spree lately. Earlier this year it acquired online bank ING Direct, and now it’s just tossed the U.S. credit card portfolio of HSBC Holdings into its shopping cart, as well. HSBC has been …
This Is an Emergency Fund Emergency: 64% of Americans Don’t Have $1,000 in Savings
If you suddenly needed $1,000 to cover an unexpected expense, how would you come up with the money? In a new survey, only 36% of Americans said they’d simply turn to their trusty savings accounts. The rest would be forced to hit …
What Europe’s Downfall Means for the World
With the plunge in global markets coming on the heels of the U.S.’s credit downgrade, it seems like the world’s financial problems all trace back to the U.S. But in reality, the eurozone debt crisis is the real time bomb fueling global anxieties. “Europe is about to blow. There is no longer any question of standing still or hoping the …
I Was a Teacher, Now I Want to Work on Construction Sites. Help!
Your resume says one thing, but you want to do something else. How do you convince a prospective employer to take a chance on you?