US stocks lost momentum and fell today, giving up recent gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 48.86 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 13,766.0; the Nasdaq Composite fell 12.19 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 2,654.29; and the S&P 500 slipped 10.28 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 1,518.75... Read More

Cash Cow Breitburn Energy Partners (NSDQ: BBEP) has announced that it is buying the US assets of Quicksilver Resources, a partnership that we profiled in the Aug. 22 issue of Personal Finance. The deal, worth $1.45 billion, will add about 530 billion cubic feet of natural gas to Breitburn’s stockpile, effectively tripling its reserves... Read More

US stocks continued a post-Fed rally today, extending yesterday’s gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 76.17 points, or 0.55 percent, to close at 13,815.56; the Nasdaq Composite gained 14.82 points, or 0.56 percent, to close at 2,666.48; and the S&P 500 climbed 9.25 points, or 0.61 percent, to close at 1,529.03... Read More

Is the dollar doomed? Are we destined for collapse? Plenty of folks in the media and the markets make a living peddling the message that the US economy, the dollar, the stock market and our whole way of life are destined for doom. And they have a plan for our salvation from economic Armageddon. Read More

Yesterday, Nibbler WP Carey (NYSE: WPC) announced its 26th consecutive quarterly dividend increase, from 46.7 cents per share to 47.2 cents. The increase is effective for its third quarter dividend, payable on Oct. 15 for shareholders on record as of Sept. 28... Read More

We’ve received several inquires today regarding the status of the delayed dividend Thornburg Mortgage (NYSE: TMA), which was to be paid yesterday. We spoke with the company today, and it confirmed that the 68 cent per share dividend was paid in full yesterday as scheduled... Read More

US stocks rose sharply after the Federal Reserve voted to cut its overnight interest rate target for the first time in four years by half a percentage point to 4.75 percent. The Fed also cut the discount rate by half a percentage point to 5.25 percent. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke cited turmoil in the financial markets as a potential threat to economic growth... Read More

US stocks slid ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rate cut decision, which is slated for Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 39.10 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 13,403.42; the Nasdaq Composite fell 20.52 points, or 0.79 percent, to close at 2,581.66; and the S&P 500 dropped 7.60 points, or 0.51 percent, to close at 1,476.65... Read More

After spending much of the trading session in the red, US stocks rallied late to finish back in black. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 17.64 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 13,442.52; the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.12 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,602.18; and the S&P 500 gained 0.30 of a point, or 0.02 percent, to close at 1,484.25... Read More

US stocks rose in anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s rate cut and in light of positive corporate news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 133.23 points, or 1 percent, to close at 13,424.88; the Nasdaq Composite rose 8.99 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 2,601.06; and the S&P 500 gained 12.39 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 1,483.95... Read More