Investing & Analysis

Top Stories

• Proxy Advisory Firm Settles SEC Charges over Data Breach
  Institutional Shareholder Services has settled civil charges by U.S. regulators that an employee of the prominent proxy advisory firm shared nonpublic voting data in exchange for meals and concert tickets.
• Apple Said to Have Enjoyed Irish Tax Holiday From the Start
  Apple has operated almost tax-free in Ireland since 1980, welcomed by a government keen to bring jobs to what was then one of Europe's poorest countries, former company executives and Irish officials have said.
• Moody's Economist Warns of 'Little Support to Growth'
  The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to resilience in the labor market despite belt-tightening by Washington.
• AEP, NextEra Energy Shares Plunge at Opening but Trades to Stand
  Shares of American Electric Power and NextEra Energy plunged more than 50 percent in the first seconds of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, the latest in a flurry of unexplained sharp drops in the market.
• WSJ: Prosecutors Sought Testimony from Top SAC Executives
  U.S. prosecutors are seeking testimony from three senior executives of the $15 billion hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York issued subpoenas to SAC's president, chief...
• Average 401(k) Balance Tops $80,000, up 75% Since 2009
  The average 401(k) retirement balance for U.S. workers hit a record high of $80,900 in the first quarter, a growth spurt of 75 percent since the stock market's nadir in March 2009, Fidelity Investments said, based on a survey of its accounts.Most of the recovery is linked...
• Goldman Sachs Lifts Its Year-End S&P 500 Target to 1,750
  Goldman Sachs boosted its year-end forecast for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to 1,750 from 1,625 previously.
• New Yorker: No Stock Bubble — This Time Is Different
  Plenty of pundits see a stock market bubble that will soon pop just as stock prices have crashed in the past. But this time really is different, argues The New Yorker. In this case, the present is not the same as the past.
• MarketWatch's Farrell Calls a Top, Predicts an August Spiral of Doom
  MarketWatch columnist Paul Farrell, never a stranger to dire forecasts, is out on a limb with a prediction that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be out by August, ultra-loose monetary policy will end as interest rates point skyward and a market meltdown will follow.
• Mutual Funds Turning Up the Heat on Corporate Board Pay
  Mutual fund firms are beginning to raise a stink about the pay practices for corporate directors, following on the trail of activist investors.
• Pension Advances Nothing More than Payday Loans in Sheep's Clothing
  Pension advances, also called pension sales or pension buyouts, are also being called "pay day loan in sheep's clothing" and are the latest scam to hit retirees.
• Detroit 'Crushing' Debt Among First Overhauls for City, Orr Says
  Detroit's bond payments are crushing the city by hindering spending on public safety and are among the first liabilities that need to be addressed, emergency financial manager Kevyn Orr said.
• SEC Charges South Miami With Fraud Over Debt Deals
  The city of South Miami, Florida, defrauded investors by not disclosing problems with the tax-exempt status of two bond deals, U.S. securities regulators said in their second municipal bond fraud-enforcement action this month.
• GE’s Immelt Weighs IPO for Portions of Shrinking Finance Unit
  General Electric Co. is considering spinning off parts of its finance unit through an initial public offering as Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt works to shrink the business. In financial services, putting things up for sale with the assumption that a bank would buy...
• Weak Yen a Help for Japan, but Headache Elsewhere
  A steady fall in the value of the yen is proving a godsend for exporters such as Toyota. The cheaper yen is making their products more affordable overseas. Japan's trading partners are generally pleased, too, even though the lower yen makes their exports relatively more...
• MetLife Avoids Buffett Reinsurance as CEO Confronts Annuity Risk
  MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, is looking beyond Warren Buffett s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. as Chief Executive Officer Steven Kandarian seeks ways to limit risk from retirement products known as variable annuities.
• Robert Reich: Corporations Are Holding Countries for Ransom
  Global corporations are pitting nations against each other in a calculated effort to avoid taxes and gain government subsidies, asserts Robert Reich, former Labor Department secretary.
• Citigroup's Stubbs: European Stocks 'Rarely' so Attractive as Today
  The raging rally in European stocks has plenty of room to run, says Jonathan Stubbs, head of European equity strategy at Citigroup.
• TrimTabs' Santschi: Fed's Easing Trims Stock Supply
  The Federal Reserve's massive easing program is restricting the supply of stocks while also boosting demand for them, says David Santschi, CEO of TrimTabs Investment Research.
• Shares of High-end Retailer Saks Soar on Buyout Talk
  Shares of Saks Inc. surged Tuesday as the luxury retail chain reported strong results for the latest quarter and later on a report that the luxury retail chain hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to help it explore alternatives including a possible sale. The shares climbed 11...
• Barclays Capital's Wilson Says Fixed-Income Markets 'Risky'
  Michael Wilson, a former Canadian finance minister and ambassador to the U.S., said bond yields have fallen so low they are no longer compensating for risks.
• Vanguard's Bogle: Investors Shouldn't Constantly Shift Strategies
  Constantly shifting an investment strategy is the worst approach an investor can take, according to John C. "Jack" Bogle, senior chairman and founder of The Vanguard Group.
• The Irish Loophole Behind Apple's Low Tax Bill
  Apple's ability to shelter billions of dollars of income from tax has hinged on an unusual loophole in the Irish tax code that helps the country compete with other countries for investment and jobs.
• John Malone Buys Irish 'Green Banana' as Castle Prices Fall
  Billionaire John Malone is the largest private landowner in the U.S. Now, he’s expanding his reach to the land of his forefathers.
• Ernst & Young Survey: Corruption Courses Through Companies Globally
  Corruption runs rampant at the corporate level of companies globally, according to a new survey.

More Investing & Analysis Stories