At one time, Sears Holdings was the Amazon of its day. In the early 1900s, the company reached 20 million Americans with product catalogs. Much like Amazon.com, Sears could make or break a product. State and local governments once complained that the company harmed smaller retailers. And they were right as Sears stomped out competitors…
DetailsOver the last month, the Federal Reserve raised rates for a third time this year to a new range of 2% to 2.25%. “Our economy is strong,” Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, said at a press conference after the announcement. “These rates remain low, and my colleagues and I believe that this gradual returning to…
DetailsIt was a rough couple of days for investors last week when major indices plunged. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell from 8,100 to 7,300. The S&P 500 dropped from 2,925 to 2,725. And, after hitting an all-time high of 26,951, the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted almost 1,400 points. It’s tough to sugarcoat such a pullback, but…
DetailsGold may have found its bottom. After plunging for the last six months, gold has weathered its longest streak of losses in about 30 years. Since April 2018, prices sank from $1,360 to a current price of $1,191.50. And while some that would tell you, there’s more pain ahead for the commodity, we’re not so…
DetailsWhile retailers have been hit hard in recent years, JC Penney’s (JCP) riches to rags story is one of the most severe. Now down 95% over the last 10 years, it’s a mere shell of its former self. And while there’s a new CEO at the helm, that may not be enough. “They’re in a…
DetailsWe haven’t seen unemployment numbers this good in almost 40 years. In fact, the rate fell to 3.7%, the lowest since December 1969, as employers added another 134,000 jobs to payrolls. Granted, that number was below expectations and the monthly average for the year, but it was enough to send the overall percentage lower. “Unemployment…
DetailsAs a sign of increased confidence in the economy, the Federal Reserve increased rates by a quarter point to a new range of 2% to 2.25%. That’s the third increase this year. The Fed felt comfortable doing so since unemployment is low. economic growth is strong and inflation appears to be stable for the time…
DetailsUntil recently, Canada appeared to be on the brink of exclusion from a new NAFTA deal. But after a good deal of haggling, the U.S., Mexico and Canada finally hammered out a revised trade deal that could replace NAFTA. “It’s not NAFTA redone, it’s a brand-new deal,” President Trump said. The new one will be…
DetailsThe lack of market reaction to trade war tensions has taken many by surprise. The DOW hit a new high on September 21, while China’s Shanghai Composite fell more than 15 percent since June. After President Trump announced he was imposing a 10 percent tariff on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, China…
DetailsFacebook (NYSE:FB) dropped another bombshell last week when it revealed an unknown hacker breached the site, compromising the accounts of 50 million users. While the company found and fixed bugs used in the attack, the damage has already been done. Trust has again been jeopardized. Worse, not only were the hackers able to access the…
DetailsThe last time we saw $100 oil was in 2014. Now, just four years later, it may not be far off. In fact, major oil traders say we could see it again, as markets brace for the loss of Iranian supplies. All on the heels of U.S. sanctions. Mercuria Energy Group co-founder Daniel Jaeggi for…
DetailsOne of our single best recommendations, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (ACAD), wasn’t considered anything special at all in 2010. Most investors had never heard of it, but The Cheap Investor liked it so much, we recommended it at $1.24 in our February 2010 issue and at $1.05 in the August 2010 issue. What many didn’t realize at the…
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