Market Overview

After large swings in the second half of last week, a generally consolidative tone emerged this week in the foreign market and continues now. The dollar fell against all the major currencies this week...

The Japanese Nikkei fell as much as 2.7 percent at one point today in volatile trading as investors sold off long positions before the weekend. The sold of positions in futures, and the cash market...

A quiet day in terms of data: the German producer price index is the day’s main data release, but should not present any market-moving surprises. The G20 summit of finance ministers and central...

When you add maturing debt to the new debt that the federal government is accumulating, the total is quite eye catching. You see, the truth is that the U.S. government must not only borrow enough...

People around the world see the U.S. as a waning superpower with China poised to supplant it, according to international polling conducted for the Pew Research Center.The polling shows people in many...

The cement business is as good a benchmark as you are going to get on the U.S. economy. And if this company is any indication, cement sales are accelerating at a double-digit rate. Texas Industries,...

My friend Robert Brokamp, one of the stalwarts at The Motley Fool, called my attention to an interesting Atlantic article published earlier this week: A Mystery Behind the Rise of Student Debt. The...

The June Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for June was released this morning. The index remained unchanged at 95.3 percent from a 0.1 percent upward revision for May (2004 = 100). The...

The above tells you all you need to know about this “recovery.” And, for that matter, its all you need to know regarding the long term trend of the US economy since roughly 1971. A trend...

“FORECAST”STOCKS: The world economy is weakening: the US payroll tax increase and “sequestration” are pressuring the US economy; China is being pressured by Japan, and has...

China’s yuan headed for its second weekly decline after the central bank guided the currency’s reference rate lower amid slowing economic growth.The People’s Bank of China cut the...

As G20 finance ministers arrived in Moscow for a two-day meeting, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has told Europe it is time to focus on boosting growth as President Obama has done since the 2008...

U.S. mortgage rates fell, reducing borrowing costs for homebuyers after the 30-year average jumped to a two-year high last week.The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4.37 percent in...

DOW and S&P 500 closed at new record high overnight as boosted by Fed chairman Bernanke's testimony and earnings. But the momentum doesn't follow through in Asia today where major indices are...