Smart401k Blog

Note: The following is as of the close of markets on Thursday, May 10.

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Election results in France and Greece roiled markets
• JPMorgan took a $2 billion hit from bad trades
• Bank of America will start offering some homeowners principal forgiveness

We follow lots of really good blogs – mostly related to personal finance and economics. The Blog Round-Up allows us to point you in the direction of some great content from the blogging world. Posts* included in today’s round-up are our favorites from the month of April.

(more…)

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Hiring in April fell short of expectations
• Eurozone unemployment rose to 10.9% in March
• Spain’s economic troubles were once again front and center
• The reality of a Facebook IPO draws nearer as the company looks to raise nearly $11 billion

(more…)

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• First-quarter U.S. GDP growth was slower than expected
• The Apple freight train kept on rolling after a big earnings beat
• Wal-Mart shares suffered after a report that the company had covered up bribery in Mexico
• The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate stable and signaled that additional stimulus is unlikely

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Intel topped earnings expectations, but failed to excite investors
• Microsoft surprised investors with better-than-expected results
• IBM’s earnings topped estimates, but revenue fell short
• Yahoo’s business showed signs of life

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• A powerful earthquake hit Indonesia
• Alcoa’s kicked off earnings season with an estimate-topping profit
• Chinese GDP growth lagged estimates for the first quarter
• JPMorgan earnings beat expectations

We follow lots of really good blogs – mostly related to personal finance and economics. The Blog Round-Up allows us to point you in the direction of some great content from the blogging world. Posts* included in today’s round-up are our favorites from the month of March.

(more…)

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• President Obama’s healthcare law had its (three) days in court
• Durable goods orders increased less than expected
• The House of Representatives approved a bill to ease regulations to help boost small-business growth
• The $155 million U.S. opening of The Hunger Games made it the third-highest-grossing opening

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Apple announced that it will introduce a dividend and buy back stock
• UPS agreed to buy The Netherland’s TNT Express for $6.9 billion
• Starbucks opened its first juice bar under the Evolution Fresh brand
• Oracle reported better-than-expected earnings

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers from the week:

• Federal Reserve stress test results got investors excited about banks
• The Federal Reserve’s policy statement provided little additional clarity on the future
• The next round of bailout funding for Greece was officially approved
• The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index posted a surprise drop