The Latest Debt & Finance Blog

Stock market rises

S&P Win Streak Longest Since 2004 as Stocks Keep Rising

By Bill Fay | January 25, 2013

The Standard and Poor’s Index rose 8.14 points Friday, continuing its longest winning streak since 2004 and capping a week of generally good news for the U.S. economy. The S&P…

Debt ceiling extended

Debt Ceiling Extended for Three Months; More Trouble Ahead

By Bill Fay | January 24, 2013

The House of Representatives put out one fiscal fire Wednesday, approving a measure to extend the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority to May 18, but there are more hot issues simmering…

What you should know about the debt ceiling

Five Things You Should Know About the Debt Ceiling

By Bill Fay | January 23, 2013

The debt ceiling is the latest self-inflicted crisis created by the federal government so that Democrats and Republicans can point fingers at each other. Here are five things to catch…

Big banks

Federal Reserve Banker: Time to Cut Megabanks Down to Size

By Bill Fay | January 23, 2013

Suppose you are a teenager. Suppose you are a rich teenager and one who is also spoiled and ill-behaved. Suppose you bend the rules continually, stretch the truth and put…

GOP debt ceiling strategy

With Polls Favoring Dems, GOP Launches New Debt Ceiling Strategy

By Bill Fay | January 22, 2013

Republican leaders will deliver a new strategy this week in the budding battle with Democrats over who gets the blame if the U.S. government has to default on its $16.4…

Walmart offers to hire veterans

Is Walmart Hiring Veterans a Patriotic Play or Corporate Ploy?

By Bill Fay | January 22, 2013

With $444 billion in annual revenue, Walmart could be a country. And if it were, it would rank among the largest economies in the world. But Walmart, admittedly the planet’s…

Young woman with credit card

Young Americans Incur More Debt, Pay It Off More Slowly, Study Says

By Katherine Pilnick | January 21, 2013

Young Americans take on more credit card debt than previous generations did and are slower to repay it, according to research released last week.   New evidence suggests that those…

Debt ceiling is another fiscal cliff

Inaction on Debt Ceiling a Drag on Business and Unemployment

By Bill Fay | January 18, 2013

The legislation that kept the United States from going over the fiscal cliff was fool’s gold for anyone who thought it would help American businesses and the 12 million people…

Americans drain 401(k) accounts

American Workers Draining Their 401(k)s Should Rethink Retirement Accounts

By Bill Fay | January 17, 2013

More than 30 years ago, Congress created 401(k) plans as a way for employers to encourage their workforce to save for retirement. Since then, 401(k) and other employer-funded, defined contribution…

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase

Despite Botched Investments, Bank Profits Soar

By Bill Fay | January 16, 2013

Earnings reports from the two of the nation’s largest banking institutions indicate they made plenty of money last year, though JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s paycheck won’t reflect that. Chase…

Sources:

  1. Kowalski, A. (2013, January 25). U.S. New-Home Sales Drop Blemishes Best Year Since 2009. Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-25/sales-of-new-u-s-homes-decrease-to-end-first-year-of-rebound.html
  2. Puzzanghera, J. (2013, January 24). Initial jobless claims drop again, hit new five-year low. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-weekly-jobless-claims-20130124,0,6411141.story
  3. Yousuf, H. (2013, January 25). Bull market winding down. Don’t panic. CNN. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/25/investing/bull-market-stocks/index.html
  4. Loiseau, J. (2013, January 24). Jobless Claims Fall to New 5-Year Low. Fool.com. Retrieved from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/01/24/weekly-jobless-claims-report-7.aspx