The NASDAQ opened flat on Tuesday July 14th amid disappointing data in retail sales. Abroad, investors remain uneasy about talks surrounding Greece’s bailout package. European shares turned lower on Tuesday after a four-day rally due to uncertainty over whether the measures would be passed in Greece’s parliament. The…
Wall Street opened higher on Thursday, July 9th as Chinese stocks finally rebounded, while focus remained on efforts to prevent the collapse of Greece. China’s Shanghai Composite stock index climbed almost six percent after the Chinese government announced some regulatory measures to prevent further selloff. The Shanghai Composite…
With the broader stock market gyrating based on expectations of the Federal Reserve’s possible interest rate increase, the NASDAQ Biotechnology index and Russell 2000 are still holding up near their highs. A closer look at the current market dynamics suggests rising interest rates won’t be the cause of…
Railroad stocks are always good barometers on overall business conditions and the economy. Keeping up with railroads is equally as useful as following the Dow Jones Transportation Average for stock market direction. And for the most part, the major railroad companies have been excellent investments over the last…
Lots of corporate earnings are still streaming in for the third quarter, though mostly among smaller-cap companies. Top-line growth certainly isn’t robust, but it’s not bad either. The surprise I’ve noticed in third-quarter reporting has been the profitability. There has been plenty of double-digit comparable earnings growth on…
It’s finally over… The quantitative easing programs initially started by the Federal Reserve six years ago are (for now) history. In its statement on October 29, the Federal Reserve said, “Accordingly, the Committee decided to conclude its asset purchase program this month.” (Source: “FOMC Statement,” Federal Reserve, October…
With the winter months just around the corner, Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW) is looking forward to as much snow falling as possible. Based in Milwaukee, Douglas Dynamics is one of the many small- and micro-cap companies reporting very good earnings based on solid domestic demand. This company manufactures…
It looks like large-cap technology stocks, especially those related to online businesses, are experiencing a slowing down of what’s traditionally been some very solid growth. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Netflix, Inc. (NFLX), LinkedIn Corporation (LNKD), and Groupon, Inc. (GRPN) have all been under pressure. Many pure-play online businesses are…
Corporate earnings are flooding in, and while there are always disappointments—typically in not meeting Wall Street expectations—the numbers are pretty good. The stock market was relieved when conglomerates started reporting. 3M Company (MMM) saw its share price pop almost five percent higher after beating estimates and reporting a…
While corporate earnings continue to come in solid, stocks continue to be sold. It’s not all the time that stocks follow oil prices, but they certainly have this time around and the selling momentum has gained on deflationary pressures from producer prices to declining expectations for global economic…