Topic: Money Markets

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Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
Stock market jitters: Eight reasons investors are on edge

Stock markets have been swinging wildly of late. Even though corporate earnings have shown strength over the past year and not all economic indicators have been gloomy, investors are on edge. Uncertainty looms on several fronts – from concerns about the basic health of the economy to doubts about fiscal policies in the United States and Europe. Here's a look at the forces weighing on investors' outlook:

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How Greek economic woes could help US consumers

Fears that Greece may default on its debt are spurring interest in US Treasury bonds, driving down interest rates on mortgages and auto loans – but not (alas) for credit card debt.
Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
Paper Economy
Commercial paper market rate at 15.23 percent

The commercial paper market generally appears to be trending lower, contracting at a rate of 15.23% on a year-over-year basis to $932.60 billion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. 
Tired of paltry returns on bank savings? Here's help.

Interest rates on bank savings are so low that many retirees are looking for higher returns. If you're one of them, consider bonds and dividend-paying stocks.
What keeps SEC chairwoman up at night? Money market funds (+video)

The health of money market funds leads the list of worries of SEC chairwoman Mary Schapiro, America's top financial market regulator. Past wild swings in the stock market rank up there, too.
Paper Economy
Commercial paper flat in January

In January commercial paper generally wen flat while still contracting at a rate of 4.12 percent on a year-over-year basis to $972.90 billion, a level that is still substantially lower than even the worst periods of the last two recessions.
The Circle Bastiat
Why do European central bankers sound like Austrian economists?

After attending a European Central Bank workshop on global liquidity, the author learned that European monetary economists sound surprisingly like Austrian economists. 
Hedge funds: Did they trigger financial crisis?

Hedge funds didn't cause the financial crisis. But new research suggests that when a few hedge funds figure out how to tell good securities from bad ones, they can trigger a systemic collapse.
The Simple Dollar
Comparing investment fees

There isn't much difference between investment fees at certain firms, unless you are investing a very large amount of money
The Daily Reckoning
The financial world is twisted

The problems get bigger, with no solutions in sight
Economic recovery 'close to faltering,' Ben Bernanke tells Congress

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offers sobering data to Congress about the weak economic recovery and gives little hope of an imminent turnaround.
Stock market jitters: Eight reasons investors are on edge

Stock markets have been swinging wildly of late. Even though corporate earnings have shown strength over the past year and not all economic indicators have been gloomy, investors are on edge. Uncertainty looms on several fronts – from concerns about the basic health of the economy to doubts about fiscal policies in the United States and Europe. Here's a look at the forces weighing on investors' outlook:
Stefan Karlsson
The Fed's new easing scheme

Long term interest rates will fall, making monetary conditions "easier"
Homeowners cheer Fed's 'Operation Twist.' Wall Street, not so much.

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will drive down long-term interest rates through a strategy called 'Operation Twist.' The move has already pushed mortgage rates to historic lows, but Wall Street appears to have doubts about the plan's broader economic impact.
Money market funds get boost from jittery investors

Money market funds gained $69 billion in August, while stock and bond funds lost $32 billion. Besides money market funds, investors put $1 billion into ETFs.
Paper Economy
Commercial paper outstanding: August 2011

Commercial paper market shows weak expansion, a setback from the steady growth of July.
Asian markets rise as cautious investors return

Asian markets react to modest rise in US stock futures. But trading expected to be seasonally thin in Asian markets.
Eurozone debt: Grave threat to US economy or imaginary boogeyman?

Under grimmest scenario, debt-burdened Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain can't pay what they owe to Eurozone banks, which then stumble, causing US banks to falter, too. But US banking system is stronger now, and regulators are more vigilant, say optimists.
Despite debt deal, US could still face a downgrade in its credit rating

Raising the debt ceiling may not be enough to keep rating firms from downgrading US credit from its coveted 'triple-A' rating. What would a downgrade mean for the US economy?
Markets on edge as debt limit debate drags on

Continuing with a week of losses, the Dow closed 97 points lower, the S&P 500 lost 8 points, and the Nasdaq fell 10
US economy 'has barely budged': 1.3 percent growth in GDP

The GDP grew at an annual rate of only 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011, announces the Commerce Department, which also revised first-quarter growth down to 0.4 percent.
Debt-limit brink: Can ordinary investors run for cover? Should they?

As the clock ticks down on the debt-limit deadline, financial advisers say the worst thing ordinary investors can do is panic and sell. The assumption is still that some kind of deal will get done.
What could happen to the global economy if US defaults

Some private economists see devastating effects, such as stock markets plunging. But other economists don't envision such a scenario, suggesting that the Fed, for example, may step in.
Does Greece owe you? How the Greece crisis affects US money market funds

American exposure to the Greece crisis is high in certain areas. Half the assets in the 10 biggest money market funds are invested in European banks, which hold a lot of Greece's debt.
Federal Reserve chief tells US financial markets not to worry about Greece

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says that even if Greece defaults, a prospect that has roiled US financial markets for weeks, the impact on US banks would be 'very small.'