U.S. stock prices jumped higher on the first trading day of 2012 after new economic data showed gains in construction and manufacturing activity. Meanwhile, oil prices surged amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, …
Wall Street
Skittish Market’s Winners and Losers Point the Way
A highly volatile stock market may have given you whiplash in 2011. But as the year draws to a close, the final numbers don’t look so dramatic: the S&P 500 is poised to end the year almost exactly where it began, and about as …
Zynga Pops 10% Then Drops Below IPO Price in Lukewarm Debut
Online game-maker Zynga went public Friday, raising $1 billion in the biggest Internet IPO since Google in 2004. The company’s shares opened at $11 — 10% above the $10 offering price — before quickly falling as low as $9.50, …
Zynga’s Valuation Could Reach $10 Billion After IPO
Web gaming phenom Zynga, which is preparing to go public Friday, does not have a complicated business. People love to hang out on Facebook and share stuff with their friends. People also love to play online games. So it’s no …
Don’t Cry for Goldman Sachs, Despite ‘Bad’ Year and Partner Exits
Has Goldman Sachs lost its lustre? The Wall Street powerhouse is wrapping up its worst financial performance since 2008, with profits down more than 40% so far this year. As a result, end-of-year bonus payouts are sure to be …
Why Investors Leave $200 Million A Year Sitting on the Table (And How to Get Your Share)
Investors collectively spend more than $200 million a year in excess fees on S&P 500 index funds alone, a study finds. They get nothing for that money, which could be compounding in their accounts instead.
Is Facebook Really Worth $100 Billion?
That’s the question many people are asking amid rising chatter that the booming social network plans to go public in 2012 and raise up to $10 billion in a deal that could value the company at more than $100 billion.
How the Lost Decade is a Boon for Your Portfolio
The lost decade has a silver lining: investors who accumulate shares during long market dry spells end up with twice as much money, new research shows.
What We Can Learn from a Legendary Fund Manager’s Retirement
In the end, Bill Miller was doing what he had always done. But it stopped working, and now the legendary mutual fund manager is retiring. His inglorious departure from Legg Mason Value Trust offers a telling lesson in the perils …
Why the Stock Market Rally Isn’t Likely to Last
U.S. share prices are rising, even though the economic picture both here and in Europe is getting worse. Why is it happening and what should you do about it?
Why Financial Reform Hasn’t Stopped Rogue Traders
After the financial crisis, regulators and politicians said they were going to rewrite the rules to ensure that big banks don’t end up with huge losses that put a country’s and indeed the world’s financial system at risk. Allowing the big banks to make big bets was out. And yet, here we go again. On Friday, U.K. authorities charged …
Wall Street Unfazed by Hurricane Irene
Sure, Hurricane Irene wasn’t the raging monster that forecasters and the media had warned about, but it still left billions of dollars in damage in its wake. Investors, however, have largely shrugged off the storm.