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The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the Federal Open Market Committee, is set to meet next week, and is expected to begin QE tapering in light of economic indicators suggesting continued economic improvement – even after last week’s disappointing monthly employment report. The initial reduction in bond purchases should be quite… Read More

The stock market is set to end the week on a positive note, as mostly good economic news on three continents has trumped the drumbeat of possible U.S. military intervention in Syria. True, today’s U.S. employment data left something to be desired, but on balance the reports coming in suggest… Read More

The S&P 500 is headed for its third down week in the last four. Currency weaknesses and capital outflows in emerging markets, in addition to risks of international escalation in Syria, continuing questions about the timing of QE tapering, and seasonal effects (historically August tends to be a weak month… Read More

U.S. stocks are treading water. This week’s weak quarterly retailer results from the likes of Wal-Mart sparked concerns that QE tapering could derail the tepid economic expansion. (Release of the minutes from the last FOMC meeting didn’t add any clarity.) Improving China and Europe data, however, encouraged investors that the… Read More

It has been a relatively difficult week for the U.S. stock market. Decent economic data, including the lowest weekly initial jobless claims since 2007, increased concerns of QE tapering; meanwhile, weak earnings results from the likes of Wal-Mart, exacerbated worries that the economy may relapse in the face of a… Read More

Recent portfolio addition Rovi Corporation (ROVI), known in its early days as Macrovision, took on its current name in 2009. Rovi has its roots in digital rights management (DRM), protecting commercial video releases against post-sale unauthorized and illegal copying. In the last decade, though, through numerous acquisitions and divestitures, the… Read More

Earlier this week, Fed Chairman Bernanke gave his firmest endorsement in a while for continuation of the Fed’s ultra-accommodative monetary policy. On Wednesday, the Fed released the minutes of its most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The minutes revealed that committee members remained divided about when to begin tapering. Read More

The U.S. added 195,000 non-farm jobs in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported early today. This is better than the 165,000 predicted (median forecast) by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. In the private sector, payrolls increased by a net 202,000, likewise better than the 175,000 forecasted. The April and May… Read More

Following an impressive three-day stretch, U.S. equities are poised to end the second quarter with their best week of June. After Bernanke’s press conference remarks rocked markets last week, a number of other Fed officials have issued assurance that the the U.S. central bank will not taper QE unless the… Read More

With investors already jittery over the potential end of QE, Fed Chairman Bernanke rocked markets further on Wednesday by declaring a potential timetable for QE’s end. At its latest two-day meeting, the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee decided to keep the pace of QE unchanged. However, at the press conference… Read More

U.S. stocks are poised to post their third losing week in the last four. Ever since Bernanke’s testimony in Congress three weeks ago, the markets have not been able to shake off worries that the Fed would soon reduce the pace of its fervent bond purchases that had helped drive… Read More

This morning, as it does the first Friday of every month, the Labor Department issued its monthly employment report. The US economy netted a gain of 175,000 jobs in May, 178,000 in the private sector. Both figures were better than expected, but do not indicate a strong labor market recovery. Read More

Equity investors have experienced a fun ride so far this year, but fears of potential Federal Reserve reduction in the pace of Treasury and mortgage securities purchases are giving markets pause. Long-term Treasury yields have risen sharply this month as Fed-tightening worries and expectations of inflation start to rise. Consequently,… Read More

The US Federal Reserve’s ambitious bond-buying programs since late 2008 have no doubt been a godsend for stock investors. Despite a bumpy and uneven economic recovery and still-questionable underlying economic fundamentals, stocks have risen strongly over the last four years, setting record highs for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and… Read More

The struggling euro zone logged its sixth consecutive quarter-to-quarter GDP declines in the first quarter, setting a new record for the longest recession in the 14-year history of the euro. The wider, 27-member, European Union is also in recession. As economic contraction worsens, we think the Europeans will have no… Read More

Vivus (VVUS) reported earnings earlier this week. First quarter sales of Qsymia doubled over those of the previous quarter, but tallied just $4.1 million. The company lost 53 cents per share. Both figures missed analyst estimates. However, shares rallied sharply once the market opened the next day as the CEO… Read More