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  • December 24, 2008

Cash-conscious consumers and lenders may be pulling back, but the Federal Reserve is pulling out all the stops to improve liquidity, stimulate lending and stabilize the roiling financial markets. Read More

  • December 24, 2008

A far-reaching economic event. Big changes in the investment markets. And a new editor of Personal Finance. It’s a sequence I’ve been involved with three times now as publisher. Read More

  • December 24, 2008

US stocks rebounded in today’s shortened trading session, as consumer spending managed to top analysts’ expectations. Read More

  • December 23, 2008

The three major US stock indexes continued their slide after statistics indicated that housing markets have worsened further and the government confirmed that US GDP contracted 0.5 percent in the third quarter--the most since 2001. Read More

  • December 22, 2008

The three major US stock indexes tumbled today, as Walgreen Co (NYSE: WAG) reported disappointing results an Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE: TM) forecast a loss for 2008. This news did little to alleviate concerns about corporate earnings in the wake of rising unemployment and slackening consumer spending. Read More

  • December 19, 2008

US automakers gained a temporary reprieve after the White House unveiled a plan to lend some $17 billion to the industry, but the three major stock indexes ultimately finished the day with mixed results. Read More

  • December 18, 2008

US stocks slid for the second consecutive day in yet another whiplash-inducing trading session. Share prices in the energy sector led the descent, taking a hit after oil prices continued their freefall. Read More

  • December 17, 2008

US stocks slumped the day after the Federal Open Market Committee took the unprecedented step of slashing the target funds rate to near zero, as investors questioned how effective the measure would be in revivifying the broader economy. Read More

  • December 16, 2008

The three major US stock indexes soared as the target federal funds rate hit the floor--that’s somewhere between zero and 0.25 percent. And the Federal Open Market Committee indicated that rates were likely to remain at historic lows for some time. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve will continue to use its balance sheet to provide liquidity to key markets. Read More

  • December 15, 2008

This, in a nutshell, is how most analysts looking for the S&P 500 to revisit that 400-to-500 level derive their predictions. The obvious question is twofold: How likely is a slide of that nature to unfold, and how does this jibe with my prediction in this journal that we’re currently seeing an outstanding buying opportunity? Read More