Archives: March 2008

Get ready for another run up in agriculture prices

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 31

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is out with its annual acreage report this morning, indicating how many acres farmers intend to devote to various crops in 2008. As you're probably...

From the Mail Bag: How Safe is Your Cash?

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 31

I recently received this email from a reader: Read your article on the safety of my money with my broker. It was quite interesting and necessary as I myself have...

Have You Bought a Fund That Reopened Recently?

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 27

I just got word that the Schneider Small Cap Value Fund will briefly reopen to new investors on April 8. This is yet another example of funds reopening amid a...

Starbucks on the comeback trail with Clover

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 27

“Wow,” I said. “Yeah, wow,” said the guy behind the counter. “That is so cool. Can I take a picture?” “Well, it’s not allowed but go ahead – quick.” And...

Say it ain't so

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on March 26

Historically, if the New York Yankees loose their opening game (March 31) the S&P 500 is 5% more likely to close up for the year, and the return, on average,...

World mkts pick up where they left off in Jan; Mar-to-date China down 21.5%, U.S. better than most

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on March 22

Global markets continued their March declines, emulating their devastating January performance and reversing their February rebound. The downturn in commodities, highlighted by sharp drops in both oil (broke under $100,...

Sell Your Employer's Stock. Now.

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 19

Maybe this is, indeed, blindingly obvious, but after the Bear Stearns (BSC) fiasco I need to get something off my chest: It is never, ever a good idea to own...

S&P 500 Actual Volatility Hits 70 Year High, Over Half the Trading Days Move At Least 1%

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on March 19

S&P 500 volatility as measured by daily changes of at least 1% have soared since last summer's credit issues emerged as a critical issue, and now stands at a 70...

Interest Rate Limbo

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 18

Thanks to the Federal Reserve's three-quarter-point interest rate cut, the U.S. now has the lowest interest rates of any country except Japan. The U.S.'s 2.25% Fed funds rate compares to...

The Bipolar Stock Market

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 18

Stocks are celebrating another Federal Reserve rate cut, but don't expect the celebration to last. As my editor noted this morning, sometimes the stock market is a little like your...

Bear Bites Star Fund Managers

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 17

Two venerable mutual funds are smarting big-time now that JP Morgan Chase is buying Bear Stearns in a fire sale. Legg Mason Value and Vanguard Windsor II are two of...

Advice on Dividend Stocks

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 12

My article, "Dividends: The Sweet Spot," was published on Businessweek.com today. In it, I explore opportunities to buy stocks that also offer healthy dividend yields. Some advice for the dividend-hunting...

Two Great Wasatch Funds Reopen

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 10

You thank the rocky market for the recent slew of fund reopenings. Here are two more to add to the list: Wasatch Small Cap Growth and Wasatch Core Growth. Today...

Legg Mason's big Citi deal keeps the hurt on

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 07

Mark Fetting has been president and CEO of Baltimore-based money manager Legg Mason (Symbol: LM) for less than six weeks but what exciting weeks they've been! Today, the firm announced...

The new efficiency: 41% of the damage in 16% of the time

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on March 06

With today's 2.20% S&P 500 decline, the index has lost $2.39 trillion in 149 days (103 trading), compared to $5.77 trillion in the 929 days (637) during the 2000-2002 bear...

SEC dings Peter Lynch over gifts from brokers

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 05

Fidelity Investments has suffered three years of embarrassing revelations of bachelor parties gone wrong (the dwarf denied being tossed, if you recall) and free Super Bowl tickets in a federal...