FairPoint Communications will cut distributions 35 percent, using cash to reduce debt at least $35 million a year. Read More

Two years ago, Entergy Corp’s regulated utility business was literally in ruins. The core New Orleans subsidiary as well as units in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, faced billions in repair costs, and thousands of customers lost their homes. Read More

Some deals benefit all the parties. That’s been the case for Dominion Resources’ $14 billion summer sale of out-of-region oil and gas production operations. Read More

There’s still one trading day left in 2007. But for income investors, the key lessons from what was quite a tumultuous year are already in focus, as is how we can use them for a prosperous 2008. Read More

Is it a giant leap forward toward America’s energy independence or a grab bag for corporations and campaign contributions? The energy bill passed this week in Washington probably comes down somewhere in between. Read More

When the US economy and markets sneeze, the rest of the world catches a cold: That old investing adage has held for nearly a century, since this country first became dominant on the global scene after World War I. Conventional wisdom is it will hold this time around as well. But based on the numbers we’ve seen thus far, that’s far from certain. Read More

Five years ago, utility stocks hit rock bottom in a once-a-generation bear market. It’s been the days of wine and roses ever since. Read More

Flashy, single-season records wow most baseball fans. But I’ve always been more awed by longevity marks, like Cal Ripken’s consecutive games-played streak or the runs-batted-in record still held by that icon of perseverance, Hank Aaron. Read More

Even the most troubled markets have pockets of safety. And still up double-digits for the year, top quality utilities are among the few left. Read More

Earnings season is report card time. Near term, stocks can surge or slide dramatically if they meet or miss Wall Street expectations. That’s especially true in volatile markets like this one. Read More