Smart401k Blog

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Job losses were less than expected and the unemployment rate stayed at 9.7%
• The Fed’s Beige Book showed continued economic improvement, though winter storms took their toll
• There was unrest in Greece as the country took on austerity measures in hopes of paving the way for European Union aid
• Prudential agreed to buy AIG’s Asian life insurance unit for $35.5 billion

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Greece and its debt crisis remained in the spotlight
• A group of telecom operators teamed up to battle Apple’s apps store
• U.K. inflation was surprisingly high in January
• Foreclosures remain a difficult problem for the housing market

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• European leaders promised to not let Greece fall under the weight of its credit crisis
• The Federal Reserve began outlining its exit strategy for its record credit expansion
• Former Merrill Lynch chief John Thain is set to take over at CIT
• SAP shook up its top level management

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Former Fed Chief Paul Volcker made a case for stringent financial reforms
• Global semiconductor sales were up 29% year-over-year in December
• President Obama unveiled his $3.8 trillion budget proposal
• Bank of New York Mellon agreed to pay $2.3 billion for a unit of PNC Financial and PNC announced that it will repay TARP borrowings

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Google’s co-founders registered to sell roughly five million shares
• Wal-Mart is cutting 11,000 jobs in its Sam’s Club stores
• TARP watchdog Neil Barofsky new investigations into the government’s handling of the AIG bailout
• The U.K. economy squeaked its way out of recession

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Hershey dropped out of the running as Cadbury accepted a buyout offer from Kraft
• Tyco acquired Brinks Home Security for $2 billion
• Japan Airlines became one of Japan’s largest bankruptcies
• The victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts may put healthcare reform at risk

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Bankruptcy looks likely for Japan Airlines
• More bad news could be ahead in Dubai as Barclays won the first foreclosure case in the country
• Populist outrage is at a boil again as Wall Street banks get ready to dole out massive bonuses
• Continuing its efforts to stay on top of inflation, China raised banks’ reserve ratio

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Novartis set the wheels in motion to buy the rest of Alcon
• Warren Buffett made waves by speaking out against Kraft’s battle to acquire Cadbury
• In the wake of the financial crisis the banking landscape in the U.K. continues to shift
• Credit Suisse became the target in a $24 billion lawsuit over its lending practices

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In the headlines

The year’s biggest news:

• The stock market opened the year in complete freefall, but then mounted an incredible rally through the end of the year
• Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States
• Confidence was stoked by the results of banking stress tests
• Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to running a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• The much-debated healthcare bill passed a crucial first milestone in the Senate
• Citadel Broadcasting filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• Moody’s downgraded Greece’s sovereign debt rating to A2
• The U.S. housing market continues to experience severe headwinds

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