Archives: December 2008

Citadel's Year to Forget

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 31

Investors in Citadel Investment Group's two main hedge funds can take solace in the fact that 2008 has finally come to an end. Of course, that won't ease the pain...

Where to Invest in 2009: Stocks and Bonds

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 30

Here's the next installment of investment tips for 2009 from Chris Dardaman, who has a plethora of certifications including CPA, CFP, CIMA, and PFS. He is the CEO of Brightworth...

Young or Old? A 2009 Asset Allocation Game Plan

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 29

Whether you are young or old, you need an asset allocation game plan for 2009. Here's the next installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 from Bob Mecca, an independent...

Investors' Wish List

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 24

What, in a perfect world, would investors like to see under the tree? 1. A promise that stocks will move higher in January. The Stock Trader's Almanac argues for the...

Age-based Saving with Gold and Real Estate

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 22

Today's installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 focuses on gold as well as real estate. 25 to 35: The key for investing for this age group is thinking long...

How to Invest in 2009: Age-Based Tips from 360 Wealth Management

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 21

Today's installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 from advisers at 360 Wealth Management Group of Raymond James & Associates. Greg Ghodsi, senior vice president of investments in Tampa and...

Age-Based Advice: Debunking the Equity Myth for Young Investors

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 20

This installment of age-based advice from a financial adviser comes from Laura Mattia, who is a wealth management principal at Baron Financial Group I'm highlighting her 2009 recommendation for investors...

Where to Invest if You Are Ages 55 to 75

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 20

Here's the next installment of age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors ages 55 to 75 from Ross Marino, CFP and branch manager at Raymond James Financial Services in...

Funds: An Awful Year for Active Managers

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 19

In the past year, fund managers have flopped. I'm not just talking about the likes of Bernard Madoff. Your honest, everyday mutual fund stock picker has also done a lousy...

Get it, Keep it, Use it: How to Invest at Every Age

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 19

In our recent Investment Outlook issue, I did a short story on age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors 25 to 35; 35 to 55; and 55 to 75....

IF YOU THOUGHT 157 CHANGED THINGS, TAKE LOOK AT 140

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on December 19

A year and a half ago the Financial Accounting Standard Board, FASB, announced a new regulation, FAS 157, requiring companies to use more stringent mark-to-market appraisals for their portfolios. That...

Madoff meets Lehman

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 19

It’s not a lot of money compared to the estimated $3 billion that a fund managed by The Tremont Group has lost in the Bernard Madoff scandal. But the same...

Henry Paulson on the Auto Bailouts and the Financial Crisis

Posted by: Dan Beucke on December 18

By Peter Coy I'm live-blogging tonight's interchange between Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and BusinessWeek Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler at the 92nd St. Y on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Paulson's one-hour appearance,...

Where to Invest in 2009: Age-Based Advice

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 18

In our recent Investment Outlook issue, I did a short story on age-based investment tips for 2009 focusing on investors 25 to 35; 35 to 55; and 55 to 75....

Some Upside Surprises in 2009?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 18

As 2008 lingers a little longer, the mood on Wall Street and among investors could not be more foul. The Madoff scandal renews the betrayal many investors feel. Their anger...

Advice for a Young Investor

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 18

I have a story up now, "Personal Finance: 20 Dos & Don'ts for 2009." Reader "Alex" responded to my tips with a great question: I'm 22, working, and have the...

Madoff: What a Week

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 18

It's hard to believe that it was only a week ago that federal prosecutors charged Bernard Madoff with orchestrating what may be the biggest Wall Street fraud ever. The Madoff...

Lack of SEC oversight and enforcement at the center of too many messes

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on December 17

Once again, the Securities and Exchange Commission is apologizing for failing to do its job. This time it's the agency admitting that it had credible allegations of wrongdoing at Bernie...

Congress Suspends Mandatory IRA Withdrawals for 2009

Posted by: Tara Kalwarski on December 16

A bit of good news for Americans age 70 1/2 and older: Last week the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008—effectively...

Ponzi Nation

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 14

Wall Street trader Bernard Madoff allegedly defrauds the rich and famous out of tens of billions of dollars. Minnesota businessman Tom Petters allegedly fleeces hedge funds out of $3.5 billion....

Madoff and the Media

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 14

There's no denying that the scandal surrounding Bernard Madoff's hedge fund is a big deal. Whether the alleged fraud is $50 billion, or $17 billion or even $10 billion, the...

How to fix the real estate mess: Wharton professor's view

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 12

In the current issue of BusinessWeek, I co-authored a story featuring four experts on how to fix the housing mess. For space reasons, I couldn't include my interview with Joseph...

Never Mind Wall Street, Watch D.C.

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 12

These are terrible times for traditional equity research. Research budgets are being cut for many reasons, especially the financial trouble at investment banks, hedge funds and institutional investors. Also, fewer...

Credit Crunch Unmasks Madoff

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 12

For years there were whispers on Wall Street about Bernard Madoff’s hedge fund. The cynics said the returns were too good, too steady and Madoff’s operation always looked too slim...

A FEW STATS, SADLY

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on December 12

GM was the largest U.S. company in 1928, with $3.55 billion in market value, up from $2.40B in 1927, when it was also #1 Their current (trade) market value is...

BUYBACKS DECLINE BUY RISK INCREASES

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on December 11

S&P just released their third quarter buyback numbers (chick for release),and buybacks in the S&P 500 declined 48% in the third quarter. The value was slightly up from the prior...

Investors and the 2009 Economic Outlook

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 11

Bullish investors are focused on the middle of 2009, with many strategists and economists thinking the economy will start bouncing back by then. If that's the scenario you're betting on,...

Citadel's Blood in the Street

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on December 11

The end of the year can't come soon enough for hedge fund magnate Ken Griffin, whose main investment portfolio at Citadel Investment Group continues to pile up big losses. As...

Pros Tap Molson Coors

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 10

Thirsty for an investment that could actually perform well in a recession? UBS (UBS) analyst Kaumil S. Gajrawala serves up one possibility. Beer maker Molson Coors' (TAP) main brands include...

Investors are expecting a lot of deflation

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on December 09

The U.S. Treasury completed a remarkable auction of four-week Treasury bills today. No surprise that there was a ton of demand for the only investment still viewed as a safe...

What If Lehman Brothers Was Saved?

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 09

Over the past week, I’ve been interviewing investors, economists, and other financial experts for BusinessWeek’s upcoming Investment Outlook issue. Again and again, many of these informed folks bring up the...

Thain: A First Test of the 2008 Bonus Climate

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 08

The 2008 bonus battles have already begun. The Wall Street Journal reports Merrill Lynch chief executive John Thain would like a 2008 bonus of up to $10 million. Merrill's board,...

The Flaws of Fundamental Analysis

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 05

Fellow Investing Insights blogger Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader, has a great article out on technical analysis. Ben explains how technicians interpret the market, and defends technical analysis against...

Stocks: How About Some Pleasant Surprises for a Change?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 05

Once again, news arrives that is even worse than our very low expectations. Friday's jobs report has economists revising estimates, predicting big declines in economic activity this quarter. Action Economics...

Health Care Stocks Await a Diagnosis

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 02

During recessions, health care stocks are traditionally seen as a refuge for investors. Even if the economy turns sour, people still need medical attention. Just as they need consumer staples,...

Fidelity To Reopen Contrafund and Low-Priced Stock

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 02

I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's a dismal year for mutual funds. Hence, the onslaught of fund reopenings. Now Fidelity is reopening two of its most...

Vanguard Multi-Manager Approach Redux

Posted by: Amy Feldman on December 02

In the Dec. 1, 2008 issue, I wrote about Scottish manager Baillie Gifford, which runs pieces of four Vanguard portfolios, and the way in which Vanguard uses a multi-manager approach...

For M&A, It’s the New Ice Age

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 01

The mergers-and-acquisitions market has slowed down so much it's almost in reverse. According to Thomson Reuters, the size of M&A deals cancelled in the fourth quarter now almost matches the...

Gifts to Replenish the Nest Egg

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 01

I did a segment this morning on Retirement Living TV’s Daily Café about gifts that will actually replenish your loved one's nest eggs. (Some of this advice is my own...