Archives: January 2009

Retirement Plan Investors Still Saving: Fidelity

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 28

Fidelity Investments came out with its 2008 retirement trends data today, and the news isn't as bad as it could have been. Sure, average retirement account balances fell a whopping...

Retail Stocks: A Question of Survival

Posted by: Ben Steverman on January 27

Three news items from the last 24 hours should heighten worries about any company that relies on consumer spending: 1. The consumer confidence index hit a record low of 37.7...

Market Strategy Report

Posted by: Ben Levisohn on January 23

It’s earnings season – which means stocks should be in play based on their individual merits, not the macroeconomic environment, or lack thereof. As a trader, I made the bulk...

Merrill's Other Big Payout

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on January 23

When your company is staring at a $15 billion loss in the face, every dollar saved through cost-cutting and scrimping counts. That’s a big reason there’s so much outrage over...

The Saga of Thain and Lewis

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on January 22

John Thain is out at Bank of America. The last straw for the former Merrill Lynch chief executive officer was the news that a number of top executives at the...

How Valuable is a Financial Adviser?

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 22

For the past few weeks, BusinessWeek has been asking readers to talk to us about financial advisers. So far, we have heard from plenty of "do-it-yourselfers" on why they don't...

RGE Estimates $3.6 Trillion in U.S. Loan and Securities Losses

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 22

I just got this alert from economic doomsayer Nouriel Roubini's shop RGE Monitor, and it isn't pretty. Nouriel Roubini and Elisa Parisi-Capone of RGE Monitor release new estimates for expected...

The Troubling Stock Market

Posted by: Ben Steverman on January 21

The performance of the stock market so far in January has been disturbing. The S&P 500 is down about 9% so far this year. In 2008, the S&P 500 tumbled...

WE NEED HEROES

Posted by: Howard Silverblatt on January 17

We are in recession, unemployment is growing and expected to get much worse, the Financial institutions are struggling and unable to help themselves, much less in any recovery, municipalities are...

Money Market Yields Swallowed by Fees

Posted by: Ben Steverman on January 15

It's a sign of the times: The fees you're paying to your tax-free money market fund's managers are likely higher -- a lot higher -- than the mere pennies you're...

Mercer Sees "Worrying Increase" in Retirement Plan Withdrawals

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 15

There's even more evidence that investors are curbing retirement plan contributions. Consulting Mercer giant says more retirement plan participants are requesting withdrawals compared to last year--requests rose 59% in November...

BofA Needs to Cut its Dividend

Posted by: Matthew Goldstein on January 15

Bank of America reportedly needs billions of dollars in additional federal money to help it complete its acquisition of Merrill Lynch. But before Treasury hands over a single penny, shouldn’t...

M&A Advice for the Brave

Posted by: Emily Thornton on January 12

Consumer confidence is shattered. Credit has tightened. And companies are about to be hit with hundreds of billions of dollars of debt maturities scheduled to come by the end of...

Do You Like--or Hate--Your Financial Adviser? Tell Us Why

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 08

More investors switch financial advisers in down markets than up markets. How do you feel about your financial adviser these days? If your adviser is in the doghouse, he or...

2008: A Weird Year to Be Fund Manager of the Year

Posted by: Lauren Young on January 06

Fundtracker Morningstar unveiled its mutual fund managers of the year today. This is no popularity contest. The fund managers that win are consistent, long-term performers. But considering that 2008 is...

A Comeback for Corporate Bonds

Posted by: Ben Steverman on January 06

If you didn't act already, you may have missed out on an opportunity from our "Comeback Stocks for 2009" slideshow of Dec. 24. But even if you didn't profit, this...

Is It Finally Time to Buy Financial Stocks?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on January 06

"Should I be buying financial stocks?" For more than a year, that question has kept investors up at night. To some value-oriented investors, financials have looked like a steal. Again...