Topic: Fixed Income Securities

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Five signs Americans are forgetting recession's lessons

Declining savings is one of five signs that American households are forgetting the lessons of the Great Recession:
Ten tax moves to protect yourself from the fiscal cliff

Americans are facing an unprecedented tax increase of nearly $500 billion on Jan. 1, 2013, from the so-called "fiscal cliff." Are you ready? Here are 10 year-end tax strategies I recommend:
Five ways big banks' Libor scandal affects you

London, this year's host of the Olympics, is also home to a bank scandal that threatens to rock the financial world as much as the Games influence the world of sports. Here's why: Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) is a global benchmark for interest rates that reaches deep into the international financial system. Allegations that banks rigged those rates means that everyone from mortgage-holders and indebted students to cities and mutual funds may have had their interest rates unnaturally altered. Already tainted by other scandals, banks are under investigation because of charges that they profited illegally from their rate-rigging scheme. The mess further taints big banks and puts more strain on the credibility of the global financial system. Here are five ways the Libor scandal could affect you:
For these four nations, 2012 is worse than the Great Recession

The Great Recession of 2008/09 delivered the worst blow to the global economy since the 1930s. But in a few nations, 2012 is turning out to be worse than 2009 in terms of economic growth. Europe's debt crisis, the general slowing of the world economy, and domestic political troubles have played a role in undercutting 2012 growth for one or more of these four nations. Can you guess who they are?
Briefing
Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 ways they differ on debt and deficits

President Obama and Mitt Romney offer sharply different views on how to get the nation back on a sustainable fiscal path. Here are five ways they differ on policies to cope with a soaring debt.

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Stocks mixed in slow start to week

Stocks fluctuated between small gains and losses on Wall Street for most of Monday. Small-company stocks are doing well because they are less exposed to recession-plagued Europe than the large international stocks that make up the Dow and the S&P 500 index.
Stocks pause rally on economic skepticism

Stocks paused on Wall Street Monday as investors assessed whether stock valuations were overstating the recent improvement in the economy. Stocks have surged this year, boosted by an improving economy, Federal Reserve stimulus and record corporate earnings.
Stocks edge higher; IBM pulls up Dow

Stocks overcame a morning slide to finish modestly higher, giving the Standard & Poor's 500 index another record close. Worries about slower economic growth have rattled stocks this month, but they have consistently bounced back.
Stocks stall on tepid GDP growth

Stocks stalled Friday after GDP didn't grow as much as hoped and earnings from a handful of big companies failed to rev up investors. Weaker hiring reports have also held stocks back.
Stocks held back by weak earnings

Stocks were weighed down by disappointing quarterly results Wednesday. A subscriber slump at AT&T and a weak profit forecast from Procter & Gamble kept stocks down.
The Reformed Broker Is Europe backing away from austerity?

Europe's leaders may be revisiting austerity policies in the face of slow economic growth and weak public support. Will that lead to concrete changes?
Stocks slip on weak earnings

Stocks fell on Wall Street Thursday after disappointing earnings from a range of companies. Commodities stocks held steady following a wild couple of days.
The Simple Dollar Everything you need to know about financial planning

Hamm gives his take on a pithy list of everything you need to know about financial planning.
Stocks end four-day advance as energy slips

A four-day advance for stocks came to an end on Wall Street as falling commodity prices brought down the stocks of energy and mining companies.
$1.4 trillion stimulus planned by Japan central bank

$1.4 trillion stimulus: Bowing to demands from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for more aggressive monetary easing, the Bank of Japan announced Thursday a policy overhaul intended to double the money supply and achieve a 2 percent inflation target.
Tax VOX Stockton to enter bankruptcy. What happens next?

Stockton, Calif., will be the largest US municipality to enter bankruptcy. The question, Gordon writes, is: Who will be left holding the bag?
Stefan Karlsson David Stockman NYT piece rankles liberal pundits

David Stockman has really upset leading liberal pundits through an article he published in the New York Times, Karlsson writes. A breakdown of responses to the David Stockman piece.
Stocks rise on heels of Dow's record day

Stocks closed up on Wall Street Wednesday with the Dow Jones industrial average inching higher. In the past, stocks have often drifted lower in the months after breaking through previous record highs.
Sequester 101: Is all this fuss really necessary?

The sequester spending cuts set to kick in March 1 address a serious long-term problem. But are they needed this year and in this way? No one thinks it's a perfect step.
Stocks waver as Europe's economy slows

Stocks ended roughly where they started Thursday as European economic woes eclipsed a promising US jobs report. After a strong start, stocks have drifted sideways over the previous week with few major events to sway investors.
Five signs Americans are forgetting recession's lessons

Declining savings is one of five signs that American households are forgetting the lessons of the Great Recession:
Tax VOX The risks of aiming low in deficit reduction

Some on the left are defining successful deficit reduction too modestly, Penner writes, threatening to leave future fiscal policy perilously constrained.
Donald Marron $1 trillion coin: Should Obama exploit the Treasury's platinum loophole?

A $1 trillion coin could provide an answer to America's debt limit woes. Marron explores how the $1 trillion coin could work, and whether or not President Obama should take advantage of it.
The Reformed Broker Three predictions for 2013

Investors' moves to ETFs, emerging market debt, and the next generation of high-tech startups are three themes for the new year.
UBS to pay $1.5 billion in fines over LIBOR rate scandal

The Swiss bank agreed to the fine Wednesday, settling with US, British, and Swiss regulators. In the case, UBS employees tried to rig the London Interback Offered Rate, or LIBOR, using different currencies.
Stocks edge higher; Dow boosted by McDonald's

Stocks rose Monday despite concerns about the surprise resignation of Italy's prime minister. A strong sales report from McDonald's pushed stocks higher on Wall Street.
New York judge's ruling sparks nationalist surge in Argentina

Stakes are high for Argentina's President Kirchner in a legal tug-of-war over full repayment of bonds from the country's 2002 default. Kirchner says her country is the victim of 'judicial colonialism.'
Decoder Wire Still playing offense, White House seeks to rewrite debt ceiling rules

The Obama administration, which appears to have the upper hand in its tax-the-rich fight, also seeks to make it harder for Congress to intervene when it comes to the national debt ceiling. That comes up again in early 2013.
Ten tax moves to protect yourself from the fiscal cliff

Americans are facing an unprecedented tax increase of nearly $500 billion on Jan. 1, 2013, from the so-called "fiscal cliff." Are you ready? Here are 10 year-end tax strategies I recommend:
Home Depot soars, stocks fall in uneven trading

Home Depot earnings beat expectations, sending its stock up 3.6 percent. Despite signal of housing recovery from Home Depot results, 'fiscal cliff' in US and postponement of aid package for Greece drag down broader market.